Research Article

Technology and equity in special education: The transformative role of artificial intelligence

Celia Gallardo Herrerias 1 *
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1 Universidad de Almeria, Almeria, SPAIN* Corresponding Author
Contemporary Educational Technology, 18(2), April 2026, ep657, https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18561
Published: 16 May 2026
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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI)-mediated interventions, namely the Story Spark and TEAMIGO tools, in facilitating the development, maintenance, and generalization of social communication skills in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) students. Participants included children and young adolescents with an established ASD diagnosis and co-occurring alexithymia, along with varying cognitive impairment levels. A longitudinal latent growth curve model methodology was employed over the course of six months, including a three-month intervention period and a subsequent three-month follow-up period to assess the maintenance of the skills. Quantitative results showed that the social development scores had a statistically significant positive growth rate, which included significant improvements in vocal expression of emotions and the reduction of low-quality utterances. Piecewise modeling was used to validate that these gains were statistically retained in the maintenance phase, and a strong positive correlation with real-world observation scores (inventory of social development-generalization) was obtained to validate the ability of AI to generalize skills to naturalistic settings such as classrooms and playgrounds. This illustrates the importance of AI as a predictable safe haven that fosters educational equity through its use of digital scaffolding.
Keywords: education, social inclusion, artificial intelligence, teaching

CITATION (APA)

Gallardo Herrerias, C. (2026). Technology and equity in special education: The transformative role of artificial intelligence. Contemporary Educational Technology, 18(2), ep657. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18561

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