Literature Study: Visual Support Design as Assistive Technology for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Providing interventions for children with autism requires various methods and learning media. Visual Support has long been implemented to help train communication skills in children with autism. Recently, many applications have developed as assistive technology to help children with autism in the learning environment. This study aims to elaborate on the visual design integrated into application-based assistive technology for children with autism. The method used in this research is a Systematic Literature Review. Based on the data tracing results, several references have been collected that specifically discuss the design of visual Support. From the data analysis, it can be concluded that visual Support is important to be integrated into digital applications to help children with ASD to carry out daily activities in various environmental settings. The development of visual support design must refer to the prerequisite rules to support the suitability of their characteristics and needs

TEARA: Educational Treatment of Children with ASD, mediated through augmented reality

The treatments that used since the 1960 as educational proposals for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are becoming obsolete over time. This research proposes an educational treatment for children with autism mediated through augmented reality called (TEARA), as a response to the challenges and constant change of a globalized world, which requires the establishment of new methods, strategies and treatments that allow improve the quality of life of these children with autism. The methodology was approached through a mixed, exploratory, descriptive, and purposeful study where a multidisciplinary team participated, we developed a training system called Hope, which reinforces and promotes teaching-learning processes, finally after several cycles of intervention, deep observation and the compilation of results, it was established that TEARA can be used by professionals, parents and people who accompany children with ASD.XI Workshop Innovación en Educación en Informática (WIEI)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informátic

Inclusive Assessment: Challenges Faced by Autistic Students in Higher Education

Autistic students account for approximately 1-2% of the third level student population, however their graduation rates compared to their neuro typical peers is much lower. Any mechanism put in place to support autistic students should, address the issues behind these low graduation rates specifically. For example, students who do not inform an institute of their diagnosis and don’t avail of local accommodations how can we best support these students? Supports need to be integrated at the subject/module level ranging from employing technology aides to techniques such as Universal Design Learning and Inclusive Assessments to assist in achieving positive outcomes

Utilization of Augmented Reality Technology in Independent Speech Therapy Applications

One of the uses of information technology is augmented reality technology in the health sector. Augmented reality is used in the development of applications that are used for speech therapy for children with autism or children with speech delays. The method used for the development of speech therapy applications is the extreme programming method. This method can adapt to the development of an application in a short time and quite a lot of changes. The stages in the extreme programming method include identifying system requirements, planning activities during system/application development, system development process, iteration for system improvement until the final iteration, and no more user feedback, system/application production, and system maintenance with data backup and system recovery. After testing the system, it was concluded that three iterations occurred during the development of the speech therapy application. The last test showed that the user accepted the speech therapy application with a percentage of 77,14%. The output of this research is an augmented reality-based speech therapy application that is useful for independent speech therapy for children with speech delays

Software Hope: tratamiento educativo para enseñar danza a través de realidad aumentada a niños con autismo

Este artículo describe el análisis, diseño, implementación y valoración de un software denominado Hope para ayudar a niños con trastorno del espectro autista a expresarse mediante la danza. El software propuesto se basa en realidad aumentada y permite fortalecer procesos de enseñanza aprendizaje que incluyen aspectos relacionados con la imitación, la percepción, la motricidad gruesa y fina, y la coordinación visual. El proceso de diseño se realizó de forma interactiva centrado esencialmente en el ser humano, se contó con la participación y guía de un equipo multidisciplinario. Se explican las características consideradas para diseñar e implementar el software, que fue probado en un Centro Terapéutico Ludic Place para niños con autismo, además se construyó una propuesta de intervención pedagógica donde se definen parámetros para la evaluación. La puesta en marcha de Hope requirió una interacción constante, métodos de diseño participativo, además el software fue mejorado con las recomendaciones de los participantes, algunos estudiantes del centro terapéutico probaron la aplicación, lo hicieron en principio acompañados de sus cuidadores y de forma progresiva se logró el uso individual del sistema, Hope fue valorado por 5 niños con TEA, además de 5 padres de familia, 5 especialistas en tecnología, seguido de con 5 expertos (docentes, psicólogos, terapistas y médicos). Al final conseguimos resultados alentadores que incluyeron el reconocimiento del cuerpo, un dialogo no verbal, expresiones menos directivas, estructuradas y la capacidad de crear y de flexibilizar el pensamiento de los participantes.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

El impacto del género en el uso de la realidad aumentada y la realidad virtual en estudiantes con TEA

Today’s education is in the process of transformation as a consequence of the inclusion of educational technology in learning spaces. Among the most prominent technologies is augmented and virtual reality. These emerging technologies have reflected great educational potential in different contexts. The study's objective is focused on knowing the influence of gender in the application of augmented and virtual reality in students with ASD. They have been considered in various dimensions such as motivation, attention, communication, autonomy, and learning outcomes. A quantitative research methodology has been used through a descriptive and correlational nonexperimental design to achieve this objective. 46 Spanish students with ASD participated in the study. The data were collected through a questionnaire. The results reveal differences in motivation, attention, and communication based on gender. However, in terms of autonomy and in learning outcomes, gender does not suppose any conditioner. The work culminates with various theoretical and practical implications.La educación actual se encuentra en un proceso de transformación como consecuencia de la inclusión de la tecnología educativa en los espacios de aprendizaje. Entre las tecnologías más destacadas se encuentran la realidad aumentada y la virtual. Estas tecnologías emergentes han reflejado un gran potencial educativo en diferentes contextos. El objetivo del estudio se centra en conocer la influencia del género en la aplicación de realidad aumentada y virtual en estudiantes con TEA. Se han tenido en cuenta en varias dimensiones como la motivación, la atención, la comunicación, la autonomía y los resultados del aprendizaje. Para lograr este objetivo se ha utilizado una metodología de investigación cuantitativa a través de un diseño no experimental descriptivo y correlacional. En el estudio participaron 46 estudiantes españoles con TEA. Los datos fueron recopilados a través de un cuestionario. Los resultados revelan diferencias en motivación, atención y comunicación en función del género. Sin embargo, en la autonomía y en los resultados de aprendizaje, el género no supone ningún condicionante. El trabajo culmina con diversas implicaciones teóricas y prácticas.I + D + i project OTRI-University of Granada 499

Inclusive Assessment and Autistic students in Third Level Education in Ireland

The current third level education system requires a square peg to fit into a round hole when it comes to assessment. Assessments are designed for the majority where students who are autistic or neurodiverse are only provided accommodations to “fit in”. These accommodations are usually not fit for purpose e.g. providing a student extra time to complete an assessment could compound their challenges as it increases burden. If we consider a wheelchair user being provided more time to climb the steps compared to others, would this be considered a reasonable accommodation? In our current education system, we expect students with dyslexia to be able to provide written reports to the same level as students without dyslexia. Autistic people account for approximately 1-2% of the general population, however they form 16% of the student population. Unfortunately, their graduation rates compared to their neurotypical peers is much lower. Success rates at graduation are not solely linked to a student’s level of knowledge or understanding but also their ability to demonstrate this knowledge or understanding through assessments. Accommodations are put in place for neurodiverse and autistic students to help them to demonstrate their knowledge within assessments, but as mentioned these accommodations are not always fit for purpose. Supports need to be integrated at the subject/module level ranging from employing technology aides to techniques such as Universal Design Learning and Inclusive Assessments to assist in achieving positive outcome

Exploring the impact of augmented reality in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a systematic review

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent difficulties in communication and social interaction along with a restriction in interests and the presence of repetitive behaviors. The development and use of augmented reality technology for autism has increased in recent years. However, little is known about the impact of these virtual reality technologies on clinical health symptoms. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the impact of augmented reality through social, cognitive, and behavioral domains in children and adolescents with autism. This study is the first contribution that has carried out an evidence-based systematic review including relevant science databases about the effectiveness of augmented reality-based intervention in ASD. The initial search identified a total of 387 records. After the exclusion of papers that are not research studies and are duplicated articles and after screening the abstract and full text, 20 articles were selected for analysis. The studies examined suggest promising findings about the effectiveness of augmented reality-based treatments for the promotion, support, and protection of health and wellbeing in children and adolescents with autism. Finally, possible directions for future work are discussed.Psicologí

Un Entorno gamificado apoyado en realidad aumentada para potenciar la competencia comunicativa en alumnado con TEA: diseño y validación

The objective of this study was to design and validate an Augmented Gamified Environment (AGE) for improving communicative skills in students with ASD. The study used a mixed methodology: a) qualitative, focused on a single case to describe the AGE design process. The environment uses a pirate adventure story which includes gamified activities supported by augmented reality. It promotes immersive learning through activities that encourage social, linguistic, and cognitive skills linked to symbolic play; and b) quantitative, based on the Delphi method in which experts (N=12) evaluated the environment using 14 indicators in four dimensions: adaptability to the pace of learning, suitability of the base and code for presenting the content, didactic potential for developing competence, and the suitability of the gamification process for students with ASD. The expert assessment helped to improve the adaptability, flexibility, and functionality of the AGE, which incorporated versatile and augmented reality activities and applications to provide the student with playful linguistic and socio-emotional development in an immersive environment.Este estudio tiene como objetivo diseñar y validar un Entorno Gamificado Aumentado (EGA) para potenciar la competencia comunicativa del alumnado con TEA. La metodología es mixta: a) cualitativa, centrada en el estudio de caso único para describir el proceso del diseño del EGA. El entorno parte de una narrativa de aventura pirata que integra actividades gamificadas apoyadas en realidad aumentada. Se potencia un aprendizaje inmersivo mediante actividades que impulsan las habilidades sociales, lingüísticas y cognitivas ligadas al juego simbólico. Y b) cuantitativa, apoyada en el método Delphi, donde expertos (N=12) evalúan el entorno utilizando 14 indicadores asociados a 4 dimensiones: adaptabilidad a los ritmos de aprendizaje, idoneidad del soporte y códigos para presentar el contenido, potencialidad didáctica para el desarrollo competencial y adecuación del proceso de gamificación al alumnado con TEA. Finalmente, las valoraciones expertas contribuyeron al refinado del EGA, incrementando su adaptabilidad, flexibilidad y funcionalidad, incorporando actividades versátiles y aplicaciones de realidad aumentada que propician el desarrollo lingüístico y socio-emocional del alumnado de forma lúdica en un entorno inmersivo.Universidad Pablo de Olavid

An Examination of Special Education Teachers’ Digital Practices

The aim of this study is to understand how mobile devices are being used to support students’ learning (i.e., mobile learning) in specialist schools, and in specialist support units within mainstream schools. A validated survey instrument is used to examine these practices through the lens of a sociocultural digital framework that highlights distinctive mobile learning approaches. One hundred and twenty-six teachers responded to the survey. The findings provide a nuanced understanding of teachers’ current digital pedagogical approaches, and show potential benefits for students, including increased agency. Possible directions for the development of special education teachers’ digital practices are also provided. </jats:p