Conference Program

One major obstacle to the application of mathematical problem-solving strategies is the lack of an adequate mental representation of the problem. Children often struggle to imagine the domain of objects and transformations described in a problem situation and instead attempt to infer the required mathematical operation directly from the verbal formulation of the problem text (Nesher, 1980).

Cognitive psychology emphasizes the distinction between two phases in problem solving: representation (problem comprehension) and solution. This distinction suggests that many difficulties in mathematical problem solving may originate from an inadequate representation of the problem (Mayer, 1982).

Literature in mathematics education describes that visual and symbolic representations—e.g. number lines, coordinate systems, diagrams—play a crucial role in supporting students’ understanding of mathematical concepts, across different stages of education and cognitive profiles (Duval, 2017; Robotti et al., 2016; Hawes, 2020).

Mathematical problems expressed in textual form—defined as word problems or story problems—play a central role in primary mathematics education. They are a form of didactic transposition which supports students' understanding of quantities and transformations of quantities by embedding them into a narrative context (Zan, 2016; Verschaffel & De Corte, 1997). This pedagogical practice has been widely studied in mathematics education (Zan, 2011; Hickendorff et al., 2021; Fuchs et al., 2015; Kintsch, 1985) and represents a favourable domain for investigating numerical and computational reasoning in primary school children as well as in individuals with cognitive disabilities. Solving such problems typically requires the integration of linguistic comprehension, working memory and reasoning abilities (Hickendorff et al., 2021; Fuchs et al., 2015).

Literature on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) pays considerable attention on how the iconic nature of signs supports everyday communication and language comprehension (Drager et al., 2010; Beukelman et al., 2020). By contrast, limited attention has been paid to the composition and spatial articulation of symbol systems for representing logical or mathematical relations.

Symbol systems can be understood as epistemic tools that organize logical relationships between concepts from visual and spatial perspective (Meletis, 2025; Duval, 2017; Roth & Tobin, 1997). Visualizing such relationships may help learners avoid superficial problem solving strategies, such as performing arithmetic operations without verifying the plausibility of the result within the real-world context of the problem (Carotenuto et al., 2021).

This article presents examples of story problems represented through AAC symbols arranged on communication boards that spatially articulate mathematical relations involving quantities and quantitative changes. The aim is to verify whether representing the logical-mathematical structure of a problem facilitates the understanding of quantities and basic operations.

These symbol configurations may serve as a starting point for future empirical research on the teaching of mathematical concepts through AAC, where the meaning of the operation emerges from the interdependence between graphic signs and the visual space of the operation, rather than from isolated symbols.

More broadly, this perspective invites reconsidering AAC not only as a communication aid but also as a pedagogical tool for accessing mathematical knowledge, promoting personal autonomy particularly for learners with cognitive disabilities or visual-perceptual cognitive styles (Mottron, 2006; Soulières, 2009).