Designing Accessible Visual Programming Tools for Children with Autism Spectrum Condition

Visual Programming Tools (VPTs) allow users to create interactive media projects such as games and animations using visual representations of programming concepts. Although VPTs have been shown to have huge potential for teaching children with cognitive impairments including those with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), research has shown that existing VPTs may not be accessible to them. Therefore, this study proposes a set of recommendations for the design of accessible VPTs for children with ASC. Recommendations were initially gathered and validated by interviewing experts(n=7). The interviews were thematically analysed to identify recommendations. A second set of interviews with a subset of the initial experts (n=3) was then conducted to validate the gathered recommendations. An examination of the available literature was then conducted to identify additional recommendations for the design of VPTs. These recommendations arose from those used for the design of other interactive applications for children with ASC (e.g. virtual environments, serious games) and not identified as part of those the initially gathered from interviews. A novel set of recommendations for the design of VPTs for children with ASC and additional cognitive impairments has been defined as the result of this study

On accessible Visual Programming Tools for children with Autism Spectrum Condition and additional learning disabilities

Visual Programming Tools (VPTs) provide a visual programming and execution environment, in addition to other visual resources and tools appropriate for creating visual programs for a particular domain. Several VPTs have been created for teaching children to program at an early age. Research on the use of these tools to teach programming, academic and non-academic skills has reported positive results. However, children with learning disabilities including those also diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) are left out of research in this area. Therefore, this research aims to contribute to existing knowledge in this area by exploring the accessibility of existing VPTs for this group of users and creating design tools and recommendations for the design of accessible VPTs for this target group. This research began with the evaluation of the accessibility of the most popular VPT, Scratch. A user evaluation was conducted with seven children with learning disabilities, five of them were also diagnosed with ASC; three special education needs teachers were also interviewed as part of the evaluation. Analysis of the findings from this evaluation showed that the children faced several difficulties while using Scratch to create stories; and also identified the causes of the difficulties. Accessibility heuristics were derived from the identified 'causes of difficulties' and were used to evaluate the accessibility of three additional VPTs. The findings of this second evaluation showed that the assessed VPTs have features similar to those of Scratch that caused accessibility difficulties to the target group. In creating tools and recommendations for designing accessible VPTs, the research focused on children with ASC (with learning disabilities) due to the match between their reported preferences and the features of VPTs. A method of creating personae to represent their requirements and goals was created and used to create three data-grounded personae. Experts were then interviewed to propose a set of recommendations for designing accessible VPTs for the target group. Therefore, this research contributed methods for conducting accessibility evaluation of VPTs for children with learning disabilities and for creating personae for children with ASC; a theoretical model for the use of VPTs by children with learning disabilities in a class setting to achieve a learning goal; findings on the accessibility of existing VPTs for children with learning disabilities; and recommendations for designing accessible VPTs for children with ASC

A method of creating personae for children with autism spectrum condition: application and revision

Purpose: Personae are simple tools for describing users, their characteristics and their goals. They are valuable tools when designing for a specific group of users, such as children with autism spectrum condition (ASC). The purpose of this paper is to propose, validate and revise a methodology for creating accurate, data grounded personae for children with ASC. Design/methodology/approach: The proposed method is based mainly on Cooper et al.’s (2007) persona construction method. It proposes gathering and analysing qualitative data from users and experts to either create a new persona or extend an existing one. The method is then applied to create personae for the design of a visual programming tool for children with ASC. Based on the results of the application, observations and lessons learnt, a revised version of the method is proposed. Findings: The method’s combined use of user data and expert knowledge produced a set of personae that have been well reviewed by experts so far. The method’s use of a questionnaire to validate personae also produced relevant qualitative feedback. On review, possible downsides of extending existing personae were identified. Therefore, a revised method was introduced, eliminating the need to extend existing personae, and stressing the importance of utilising user data, expert knowledge and feedback. Originality/value: This paper addresses the need for a well-defined method for creating data grounded personae that accurately describe the characteristics and goals of children with ASC. Such personae can be used to design and develop more accessible and usable products

Creating Inclusive Experiences in Children\u27s Museums for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study examined daily programming and inclusion efforts for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at a singular study site, a children’s museum located in a suburban community of Illinois. The purpose of this study was to identify, through survey, observation, and peer interviews the current accessibility barriers at the study site and suggest ways to prevent them through inclusive design strategies. Interviews with children’s museums around the country focused on how children’s museums may be able to expand their inclusion efforts to overcome these barriers including designing programming to provide inclusive experiences for children with ASD. These interviews championed the use of a variety of inclusion efforts including utilizing Universal Design for Learning Guidelines in program development and engaging community partners. Survey results showed that visitors to the site utilized these environments for leisure and supplementary educational opportunities. However, due to various barriers related to the Museum environment and characteristics of ASD, children with the disorder are not always able to have a positive experience. Observations conducted at the study site revealed that while the Museum offers many accessibility resources to visitors, its current daily programming is unsupportive of a neurodiverse audience. Outcomes from this study resulted in recommendations to improve the experiences of children with ASD at the study site by investing in staff training and resources, designing programs that comply with Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, and cultivating and maintaining community partnerships. In addition, strategies for measuring the effectiveness of these recommendations were identified. This, in turn, may be relevant and beneficial to ASD programming development and delivery at other museum sites around the country

Accommodating Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Museums

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the question of how current museum access programs meet the needs of individuals with Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is an umbrella classification that presents many challenges for individuals in terms of social development and academic growth. It is important that all individuals are given the opportunity to experience the museum setting to their full ability. With this population of individuals at the forefront, an analysis will be done to examine what needs are present and how museum programming serves them. There are a variety of strategies and accommodations that museums can adopt that serve to enhance the museum experience for those visitors with ASD. This paper presents suggestions on how current strategies and practices can be enhanced for accommodating individuals with ASD in museums. Some museums that have exemplary programming to accommodate individuals with ASD can serve as models for other museums that wish to increase efforts for accommodating individuals with ASD. This work makes recommendations regarding the direction for further research and program implementation to help museum professionals and promote programs that increase access for ASD visitors

Integrated Web Accessibility Guidelines for Users on the Autism Spectrum - from Specification to Implementation

This research presented a compendium of web interface design guidelines and their implementation on a transport-planning website based on the needs and preferences of users on the autism spectrum. Results highlighted the importance of having simple navigation and meaningful headings, icons, labels and text to facilitate understanding and readability; these findings offer guidelines for the design of web user interfaces to continue improving the web experience of autistic users, and therefore of the whole community

Museums and the Metaverse: Emerging Technologies to Promote Inclusivity and Engagement

Over the past two decades, museums have increasingly sought to build connections with the community and increase inclusivity of visitors. At the same time, emerging technologies, such as extended reality (XR) and virtual museums (VM) are increasingly adopted to engage with different generational expectations but also for the purposes of supporting inclusivity and neurodiverse populations. First such technologies were adopted to augment exhibitions in the physical museum space for edutainment. Since then, XR has expanded from room-size environments (CAVEs) and augmented exhibitions to the creation of entire virtual museums, such as The Museum of Pure Form and The Virtual Museum of Sculpture. Digital twins of museums are increasingly common, along with UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Such virtual experiences can be leveraged to prepare neurodiverse visitors prior to visiting a museum. This chapter will outline how existing approaches to social stories and sensory maps may be combined with XR experiences to support neurodiverse visitors and their families. While onsite, immersive technologies can be used both for engagement and to provide accommodations for greater inclusivity and diversity

Library Programming for Autistic Children and Teens

This second edition provides key information, updated program ideas, and practical tips that will help library workers feel more prepared to serve members of this prevalent population. Since the first edition of this landmark guide was published, there has been increased interest in services for library patrons on the autism spectrum; indeed, more people of all ages now self-identify as autistic. Those who understand the unique characteristics of autistic young people know that ordinary library programming guides are not up to the task of effectively serving these library users. Well qualified to speak to this need, Anderson is an educator, library researcher, and former public librarian who has helped to develop two IMLS funded initiatives that train library workers to better understand and serve autistic patrons. … [Amazon.com]https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/stemps_books/1003/thumbnail.jp