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

A second-person model to anomalous social cognition

Reports of patients with schizophrenia show a fragmented and anomalous subjective experience. This pathological subjective experience, we suggest, can be related to the fact that disembodiment inhibits the possibility of intersubjective experience, and more importantly of common sense. In this paper, we ask how to investigate the anomalous experience both from qualitative and quantitative viewpoints. To our knowledge, few studies have focused on a clinical combination of both first- phenomenological assessment and third-person biological methods, especially for Schizophrenia, or ASD therapeutics and diagnosis. We will thus attempt to bring forward a second-person scientific design, accounting for both the first-person subjective experiential aspects, and respective third-person neurobiological correlates of embodied aesthetics in anomalous experience. From this proposal, we further explore the consequences to clinical and research practice

Impact of classroom design on interactive whiteboard use in a special needs classroom

The physical environment of a classroom—how space is organized and controlled—impacts the use of technology within that setting. This paper presents the initial rationale for choosing an interactive whiteboard (IWB) as the platform for software designed to encourage play in primary students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. An observational study of normal classroom practice and of an installed version of the software uncovered factors in the physical installation of the IWB and its pedagogical use that negatively affect its potential use

Participation of disabled children and young people in decision making within social services departments: A survey of current and recent activities in England

A survey of all social services departments in England was undertaken in order to identify and investigate current work concerning the participation of disabled children within decision making regarding their own care and in service development. Developing a culture of, and good practice in, children's participation is integral to government policy. Results demonstrate that disabled children are being involved in a range of decision-making areas; however, participation is not yet embedded or sustained across all social services departments, and the involvement of disabled children at a higher strategic level is still rare. The participation of disabled children needs further development including more evidence on which factors can support and promote disabled children's effective participation

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

Micro-ethics for participatory design with marginalised children

Marginalised children are uniquely vulnerable within western societies. Conducting participatory design research with them comes with particular ethical challenges, some of which we illustrate in this paper. Through several examples across two different participatory design projects (one with autistic children, another with visually impaired children), we reflect on the often overlooked tensions on the level of micro-ethics. We argue we are often required to rely on multiple moral frames of references. We discuss issues that the immediate interaction between researchers and marginalised children in participatory projects can bring and offer an understanding of how micro-ethics manifest in these collaborations. We contribute to a theoretical exploration of ethical encounters based on empirical grounds, which can guide other researchers in their participatory endeavours

User participatory methods for inclusive design and research in autism: A case study in teaching UX design

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017. User participatory design is considered to be one of the best methods for understanding the needs of a target audience and creating high quality, well designed solutions to meet their needs. For many design students, the principles of participatory design in the creation of new user experiences are part of their curriculum. However, the involvement of disabled persons into the user experience design (UXD) process can be difficult in an educational setting. Often persons with autism and cognitive disabilities are excluded from user experience data collection due to their lack of sufficient cognitive ability and language skills to participate in these research methods in meaningful ways. Further, educators may shy away from involving this group due to institutional regulations and ethical concerns. This paper presents a case study introducing design students to inclusive UXD strategies and observing autistic children, using an approach called the “Connectivity Model”. The model avoids the requirement for complex ethical clearance by facilitating observations via recorded videos. We present outcomes and evaluate the model against the most pertinent needs of these children