Increasing the Ability of Children with Autism in Performing Oral Hygiene Through Photographs: a Single Subject Study in Indonesia

Autism is a developmental disorder in children that now affects 1 : 88 children in the world. As many as 50% of school-age children with autism face difficulty in independently performing oral hygiene. This research seeks to increase the ability of children with autism in performing oral hygiene through the use of photographs. The methodology of the research is quantitative quasi-experimental through the single subject design. The three research subjects are school-age children with autism, and their parents also participated in this research. Intervention is conducted through a series of photographs on the steps in performing oral hygiene after the ability trend in the baseline phase is observed. Assessment in the ability of performing oral hygiene is done in the baseline, intervention, maintenance, and generalization phases. The result is that the ability to perform oral hygiene for Children A, B, and C increases from 14, 21, and 22 to 30, 31, and 30. The ability to perform oral hygiene for the three children increases after intervention and settles in the generalization phase

Beyond The ‘Untold’ Encountering Autism: Situated Insights On Ways To Enable Participation In Design

The number of people who experience autism is constantly increasing. In 2020, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention determined that, every year, approximately 1 out of 54 children is diagnosed with the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the last years, the number of research and studies dedicated to children with autism has increased; however, scarce attention was paid to research on adults with autism, particularly those on the severe end of the spectrum (low-functioning autism), who have limited verbal abilities and non-normative communication. Consequences of this include issues of social inclusion, lack of services, work opportunities, social and civil rights, to mention a few, which are not yet sufficiently explored nor implemented for this specific group of people. This thesis employs Participatory Design to explore novel ways to engage with people on the autistic spectrum, in the attempt to understand what processes and participatory dynamics become enacted in acknowledging them as equal, valuable presences in the constitution of our collective existence and society. In particular, the research looks at processes and activities that can lead to a collaboration between designers and adults with severe autism and non-normative communication abilities, and their active participation within the research process. By theoretically drawing from traditions of Feminist Theory and Participatory Design, this thesis considers one single case study, where collaboration with the participant is achieved by means of a situated approach to design research. My standpoint and philosophical positioning here are to acknowledge that there are multiple realities through which one can make sense of the world: this research envisions that each person constructs her or his own reality through their personal experiences. Such philosophical perspective aims at emphasising and valuing subjectivity, and the consequent, intrinsic partiality that constitute our human experience. Personalised and situated research objects are also used across the thesis as methodological elements, oriented to explore the potential of triggering participation, crossing the boundaries between different communication abilities and achieving mutual understanding between designer and participant. The contribution to knowledge provided from this research is three fold: first, it provides new insights about the creation of research objects that result from a situated and process-oriented approach to Participatory Design; second, it extends knowledge concerning design practices that involve the collaborative participation of people experiencing the severe 4 end of the autistic spectrum; third, it contributes to provide new narratives concerning peoplewith non-normative communication abilities and autism

Evaluating the efficacy of psychodynamic treatment on a single case of autism. A qualitative research.

Autism spectrum disorder refers to a group of diseases determined by multiple conditions and primarily defined on the basis of behavioral patterns. The literature and guidelines provide indications regarding adequate treatments, underlying how psychologically and behaviorally structured interventions, should be considered the best programs. Anyway, there is still a scarcity of studies evidencing the effectiveness of therapeutic and developmental approaches situated in a psychodynamic framework and researches aimed to evaluate the quality of psychodynamic interventions on autism are rare. The present study illustrate a qualitative research on the single-case intervention with an autistic adolescent, admitted to the Educational - Rehabilitation Centre Antenna 112. The Centre bases its intervention on a specific psychodynamic approach, Lacanian Psychoanalysis, named Pratique \ue0 Plusieurs. The efficacy of the psychodynamic intervention is evaluated by monitoring the therapeutic process with the adolescent from his admission. The evaluation took place in three different stages of the intervention: at the beginning of the treatment, after 6 months and after 12 months. In particular, the level of adaptive behaviors (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale), Social Communication (Social Communication Questionnaire), and the seriousness of behavioral patterns, specific for the autism disorders (Childhood Autism Rating Scale) have been assessed. Results highlight that the psychodynamic setting of the Centre and the therapeutic intervention, which takes place in it, foster an improvement of adaptive behavior, such as life skills and socialization. Limitations of the present study and clinical implications regarding residential psychodynamic treatments in cases of autism disorders are discussed

Human-centred design methods : developing scenarios for robot assisted play informed by user panels and field trials

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/ Copyright ElsevierThis article describes the user-centred development of play scenarios for robot assisted play, as part of the multidisciplinary IROMEC1 project that develops a novel robotic toy for children with special needs. The project investigates how robotic toys can become social mediators, encouraging children with special needs to discover a range of play styles, from solitary to collaborative play (with peers, carers/teachers, parents, etc.). This article explains the developmental process of constructing relevant play scenarios for children with different special needs. Results are presented from consultation with panel of experts (therapists, teachers, parents) who advised on the play needs for the various target user groups and who helped investigate how robotic toys could be used as a play tool to assist in the children’s development. Examples from experimental investigations are provided which have informed the development of scenarios throughout the design process. We conclude by pointing out the potential benefit of this work to a variety of research projects and applications involving human–robot interactions.Peer reviewe

I'm a Juggling Robot: An Ethnography of the Organization and Culture of Autism-Based Applied Behaviour Therapies in Ontario, Canada

This dissertation is an ethnographic study of the culture, social organization, and everyday practices of providers and recipients of autism-based applied behavior therapies in Ontario, Canada. Autism-based applied behavior therapies are highly controversial evidence-based autism interventions that have become the standard of care, and the only guaranteed-funded services, for autistic people in this province. These therapies are provided by teachers in public autism classrooms, by parents in the home, and by personal support workers in group homes with autistic residents. The lives of many autistic people in this province, whether at school, in the home, or the community, are structured through completing behaviour therapy activities. The growing voices that resist and proliferate applied behaviour therapies, highlight the importance of critical scholarly attention to these therapies. This dissertation is situated within the fields of science studies, medical anthropology, and critical autism studies, and focuses on the experiences and practices of providers. Learning about what providers do, and how they make sense of what they do, helps to understand the professional culture in which they work, and the complex forces of power that govern both their activities and the everyday lives of autistic people in this province. For this project, I completed an ethnography, which included participant observation activities and interviews with thirty-two providers and recipients of these therapies. To understand the complex power relations that constitute everyday enactments of behaviour therapies, I combined the governance-focused approach offered by Studies in the Social Organization of Knowledge, with anthropological approaches to ethnography that focus on meaning and description. The merger of these two methods of inquiry, where cultural analysis bolsters an organizational account, enables a rich and comprehensive analysis of behaviour therapy practices

Understanding the use of tablet devices in the classroom when teaching a group of learners diagnosed with autism

The increasing number of individuals diagnosed with autism, the shift in educational paradigms, and technology advances that allow affordability and accessibility were the motivation behind this study. Learners with autism have the potential to develop social and emotional skills as well as increasing motivation for learning while using technology, in particular tablet devices (i.e., iPads) as instructional tools. The purpose of this case study was to better understand the use of technology (in particular, tablet devices) to teach mathematics to a group of learners diagnosed with autism. Two research questions guided this study: (1) How do the motivational principles of the ARCS model impact the learners\u27 motivation with classroom activities (i.e., with excitement? apathy? sense of accomplishment)?; and (2) How do learners interact with technology used in the classroom (i.e., as an instructional tool? as a rewarding mechanism? as an entertaining strategy)? Moreover, the hope is to potentially gain more awareness into the motivational impact tablet devices can have on learners on the autism spectrum concerning engagement and participation in learning activities. Participants in this study were five children diagnosed with autism between the ages of 8 and 11 who attended a middle school located at a large school district in a metropolitan area of a U.S. Midwestern state. The learners participated in a paper-based mathematics activity as well as interacted with an iPad to work on mathematics concepts. Observations and opportunistic interviews with learners and teacher were conducted. An in-depth semi-structured interview was also done with the classroom teacher. In attempt to explore the research questions, data were analyzed using the Interpretive Descriptive qualitative research analysis method. Based on that analysis four themes emerged: (1) the motivational use of the tablet device in the classroom, (2) the classroom activities\u27 impact on learners\u27 social interactions, (3) learners\u27 behavioral changes resulting from change in classroom routine, and (4) teacher\u27s motivational strategy. The overall study provided an understanding of the motivational impact tablet devices potentially have on learners on the autism spectrum concerning engagement and participation in learning activities. The impact of technology was contingent on its strategic instructional or reward mechanism implementation in the curriculum. The study revealed that technology in general and tablet devices in particular are used in the classroom as reward mechanisms and entertaining strategies to seize and retain the learners\u27 attention in order to achieve instructional goals. The findings also revealed how the learners\u27 conceptual levels affect their response to the reward and influence their social behavioral skills that could become uncontrollable. Additionally, the findings raised awareness concerning the learners\u27reactions to the change in their daily structured schedule and revealed some practices to manage learners\u27 behaviors

Challenging the knowledge-transfer orthodoxy: Knowledge co-construction in technology-enhanced learning for children with autism

Experimental intervention studies constitute the current dominant research designs in the autism education field. Such designs are based on a ‘knowledge-transfer’ model of evidence-based practice in which research is conducted by researchers, and is then ‘transferred’ to practitioners to enable them to implement evidence-based interventions. While these research designs contribute important knowledge, they lead to a gap between what the research evidence may prescribe and what happens in practice, with a concomitant disparity between the priorities of researchers and practitioners. This paper discusses findings from the ESRC-funded ‘SHAPE’ project, which adopted a different model of evidence-based practice, focusing on knowledge co-construction. Pupils (N = 8), teachers (N = 10), a speech and language therapist and a parent in three different school communities investigated creative ways in which children's social communication skills could be enhanced through technology use. Through a participatory methodology, digital stories were used as a method to enable engagement with the practical realities of the classroom and empower practitioners to construct and share their own authentic narratives. Participants articulated precise knowledge about the learning opportunities afforded to them and their pupils through quality interactions that were mediated by the technologies, as evidenced through digital stories. The SHAPE project shows that it is feasible to develop methodologies that enable genuine knowledge co-construction with school practitioners, parents and pupils. Such co-construction could offer realistic opportunities for pedagogical emancipation and innovation in evidence-based practice as an alternative to the currently dominant and narrow model of knowledge transfer

Touch or Touchless? Evaluating Usability of Interactive Displays for Persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Interactive public displays have been exploited and studied for engaging interaction in several previous studies. In this context, applications have been focused on supporting learning or entertainment activities, specifically designed for people with special needs. This includes, for example, those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In this paper, we present a comparison study aimed at understanding the difference in terms of usability, effectiveness, and enjoyment perceived by users with ASD between two interaction modalities usually supported by interactive displays: touch-based and touchless gestural interaction. We present the outcomes of a within-subject setup involving 8 ASD users (age 18-25 y.o., IQ 40-60), based on the use of two similar user interfaces, differing only by the interaction modality. We show that touch interaction provides higher usability level and results in more effective actions, although touchless interaction is more effective in terms of enjoyment and engagemen

Overcoming barriers and increasing independence: service robots for elderly and disabled people

This paper discusses the potential for service robots to overcome barriers and increase independence of elderly and disabled people. It includes a brief overview of the existing uses of service robots by disabled and elderly people and advances in technology which will make new uses possible and provides suggestions for some of these new applications. The paper also considers the design and other conditions to be met for user acceptance. It also discusses the complementarity of assistive service robots and personal assistance and considers the types of applications and users for which service robots are and are not suitable