Use of Visual Supports in Teaching Mathematics to Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Edo State

This study examines the effectiveness of visual supports in teaching mathematics to students with intellectual disabilities in special education schools in Edo State, South South Nigeria. Mathematics instruction presents unique challenges for students with intellectual disabilities due to the abstract nature of many mathematical concepts and the language demands of word problems. Visual supports, including pictorial representations, manipulatives, graphic organisers, and number lines, have been advocated as concrete pathways to mathematical understanding for learners with cognitive limitations. Using a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design, the study selects sixty students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities from two special schools in Benin City. An eight-week visual supports-based mathematics instruction programme targeting number operations and basic measurement concepts is implemented in the experimental group. Achievement is assessed using a researcher-developed mathematics performance test. Data are analysed using analysis of covariance. The study also records qualitative observations on student engagement and teacher instructional confidence during the intervention. Findings are expected to demonstrate significantly higher post-test mathematics scores in the experimental group. Recommendations include developing a visual mathematics resource pack for distribution to all special education schools in Edo State and incorporating visual teaching strategies into mathematics methodology courses at Colleges of Education. This study contributes evidence for contextually adapted mathematics instruction in Nigerian special education. Keywords: visual supports, mathematics instruction, intellectual disability, Edo State, special education.