A Virtual Conversational Agent for Teens with Autism: Experimental Results and Design Lessons

We present the design of an online social skills development interface for teenagers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The interface is intended to enable private conversation practice anywhere, anytime using a web-browser. Users converse informally with a virtual agent, receiving feedback on nonverbal cues in real-time, and summary feedback. The prototype was developed in consultation with an expert UX designer, two psychologists, and a pediatrician. Using the data from 47 individuals, feedback and dialogue generation were automated using a hidden Markov model and a schema-driven dialogue manager capable of handling multi-topic conversations. We conducted a study with nine high-functioning ASD teenagers. Through a thematic analysis of post-experiment interviews, identified several key design considerations, notably: 1) Users should be fully briefed at the outset about the purpose and limitations of the system, to avoid unrealistic expectations. 2) An interface should incorporate positive acknowledgment of behavior change. 3) Realistic appearance of a virtual agent and responsiveness are important in engaging users. 4) Conversation personalization, for instance in prompting laconic users for more input and reciprocal questions, would help the teenagers engage for longer terms and increase the system's utility

Anxiety and autism:towards personalized digital health

For many people living with conditions such as autism, anxiety manifests so powerfully it has a big impact on quality of life. By investigating the suitability of truly customizable wearable health devices we build on prior research that found each experience of anxiety in people with autism is unique, so 'one-suits all' solutions are not suitable. In addition, users desire agency and control in all aspects of the system. The participative approach we take is to iteratively co-develop prototypes with end users. Here we describe a case study of the co-development of one prototype, a digital stretch wristband that records interaction for later reflection called Snap. Snap has been designed to sit within a platform that allows the distributed and sustainable design, manufacture and data analysis of customizable digital health technologies. We contribute to HCI with (1) lessons learned from a DIY co-development process that follows the principles of modularity, participation and iteration and (2) the potential impact of technology in self-management of anxiety and the broader design implications of addressing unique anxiety experiences

An Exploration of What Adolescent Girls with ASC Say Helps Them Successfully Navigate the Social Aspects of Mainstream Schooling

Historically, there has been presumed to be a male bias in the diagnosis of ASC, however recent research has started to focus on the possibility that some females with ASC may have a different phenotype to males and present with different characteristics, and therefore needs. Additionally, these girls may mask autistic traits, giving the external appearance of coping and risking girls not being diagnosed or not being given the support they need. Adolescence appears to be a particularly significant time for these girls as social interactions become more complex, impacting on friendships and learning. This study took a participatory approach to investigate what helps adolescent girls with ASC succeed in the social aspects of mainstream schooling. Five participants (Years 7-8) were recruited as co-researchers, choosing which areas of school to focus on during data collection, verifying analysis and making decisions about the dissemination of findings. Their recounts of their experiences at school were analysed using a deductive thematic analysis to identify and interpret what they considered helpful. Their ideas indicated their motivation for autonomy, competence and relatedness and reflected a desire to be understood and have a good fit with their environment. Relationships with others and clarity in expectations appeared key for creating a positive school experience. Some participants also indicated a use of personal insight and consideration of others’ motivations in developing their understanding and ability to manage at school. Participants valued their role as co-researchers, indicating personal benefit and feelings of empowerment in their feedback. Evaluation of the procedure showed that participatory research with these students is feasible and successful and it will be beneficial to promote community participation in future research and school practice. It is hoped that these findings will contribute to this new area of research and inform support for girls with ASC at multiple levels

Co-designing with adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a participatory action research approach

Randy Zhu investigated how adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can participate as co-designers in an extended iterative software design process. He found that participants expect to make design decisions for applications built for them and parents, community group and fellow participants play a pivotal role in supporting a longitudinal ASD co-design study

Using a Participatory Research Model to Investigate the Friendship Experiences of Females with Autism or Social Communication Difficulties

There is an historical gender bias towards males in autism diagnosis rates. A recent survey showed that, in England, 1.8% of men and boys have a diagnosis of ASD versus only 0.2% of women and girls. However, the National Autistic Society (NAS) report an increasing number of girls and women being referred for ASD assessment. Theorists are beginning to challenge the notion that autism is a predominately male phenomenon, and are suggesting alternative explanations to the difference in diagnosis rates. As a result of this bias, few research studies have been conducted in the field of females with autism. Furthermore, studies that do exist largely focus on identifying differences in gender presentation, especially in regards to the diagnostic criteria. There is a lack of participant voice, or studies that consider how support might need to differ across gender. This project aimed to hear autistic female voices in regards to their experiences. It used a case study methodology to explore the friendship experiences of children and young people (ages 9-17 years) with autism or social communication difficulties attending a specialist education setting. Focus groups using a semi-structured interview approach were employed to collect qualitative data regarding the participants‘ views. This data was then analysed using the process of thematic analysis. The participants discussed their experiences of friendship and support within the school setting. The study highlighted themes including an understanding of friendship, feelings of belonging, and support that could be put in place to improve friendship experiences. The school hoped to put in place provision reflecting these lessons. This research was planned and delivered alongside a co-researcher, according to participatory principles. The co-researcher was recruited from the female population within the target educational setting and was a young person with autism

Knowing autism: The place of experiential expertise

Jaswal & Akhtar challenge the notion that autistic people have diminished social motivation, prompted in part by a desire to take autistic testimony seriously. We applaud their analysis and go further to suggest that future research could be enhanced by involving autistic people directly in the research process

Designing a Summer Transition Program for Incoming and Current College Students on the Autism Spectrum: A Participatory Approach

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face unique challenges transitioning from high school to college and receive insufficient support to help them navigate this transition. Through a participatory collaboration with incoming and current autistic college students, we developed, implemented, and evaluated two intensive week-long summer programs to help autistic students transition into and succeed in college. This process included: (1) developing an initial summer transition program curriculum guided by recommendations from autistic college students in our ongoing mentorship program, (2) conducting an initial feasibility assessment of the curriculum [Summer Transition Program 1 (STP1)], (3) revising our initial curriculum, guided by feedback from autistic students, to develop a curriculum manual, and (4) pilot-testing the manualized curriculum through a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test assessment of a second summer program [Summer Transition Program 2 (STP2)]. In STP2, two autistic college students assumed a leadership role and acted as “mentors” and ten incoming and current autistic college students participated in the program as “mentees.” Results from the STP2 pilot-test suggested benefits of participatory transition programming for fostering self-advocacy and social skills among mentees. Autistic and non-autistic mentors (but not mentees) described practicing advanced forms of self-advocacy, specifically leadership, through their mentorship roles. Autistic and non-autistic mentors also described shared (e.g., empathy) and unique (an intuitive understanding of autism vs. an intuitive understanding of social interaction) skills that they contributed to the program. This research provides preliminary support for the feasibility and utility of a participatory approach in which autistic college students are integral to the development and implementation of programming to help less experienced autistic students develop the self-advocacy skills they will need to succeed in college

Introducing FAMe™: Can improved teacher access to individualised classroom support information impact positively on levels of anxiety in autistic pupils?

There is much research evidence to suggest that the successful inclusion of autistic pupils in mainstream secondary schools is difficult to achieve and that these pupils remain particularly vulnerable to a wide range of negative academic and psychosocial outcomes. With a focus on anxiety, this article reports the initial findings of a participatory-styled system-impact evaluation study. Quantitative evidence of decreased pupil anxiety is demonstrated and validated with qualitative data. Implications for future education policy and practice are discussed. Key Words: autism, Asperger Syndrome, anxiety, inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), education, equality, FAMe

Reflections on the role of the ‘users’: challenges in a multi-disciplinary context of learner-centred design for children on the autism spectrum

Technology design in the field of human–computer interaction has developed a continuum of participatory research methods, closely mirroring methodological approaches and epistemological discussions in other fields. This paper positions such approaches as examples of inclusive research (to varying degrees) within education, and illustrates the complexity of navigating and involving different user groups in the context of multi-disciplinary research projects. We illustrate this complexity with examples from our recent work, involving children on the autism spectrum and their teachers. Both groups were involved in learner-centred design processes to develop technologies to support social conversation and collaboration. We conceptualize this complexity as a triple-decker ‘sandwich’ representing Theory, Technologies and Thoughts and argue that all three layers need to be appropriately aligned for a good quality ‘product’ or outcome. However, the challenge lies in navigating and negotiating all three layers at the same time, including the views and experiences of the learners. We question the extent to which it may be possible to combine co-operative, empowering approaches to participatory design with an outcome-focused agenda that seeks to develop a robust learning technology for use in real classrooms