1,697 research outputs found

    Serious Games in Autism Spectrum Disorder - An Example of Personalised Design

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    Over the last decade, several studies evaluated the use of Serious Games as tools to encourage the development of communication, the process of learning, and social behaviour in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) alongside traditional therapeutic approaches. The proposed study intends to employ and rate the use of Serious Games to create personalised interactive environments aimed to improve the learning of educational content in children with ASD. In particular, a multidisciplinary team supported the design and development of the serious game to allow a personalised approach

    Motion-based technology to support motor skills screening in developing children: A scoping review

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    Background. Acquiring motor skills is fundamental for children's development since it is linked to cognitive development. However, access to early detection of motor development delays is limited. Aim. This review explores the use and potential of motion-based technology (MBT) as a complement to support and increase access to motor screening in developing children. Methods. Six databases were searched following the PRISMA guidelines to search, select, and assess relevant works where MBT recognised the execution of children's motor skills. Results. 164 studies were analysed to understand the type of MBT used, the motor skills detected, the purpose of using MBT and the age group targeted. Conclusions. There is a gap in the literature aiming to integrate MBT in motor skills development screening and assessment processes. Depth sensors are the prevailing technology offering the largest detection range for children from age 2. Nonetheless, the motor skills detected by MBT represent about half of the motor skills usually observed to screen and assess motor development. Overall, research in this field is underexplored. The use of multimodal approaches, combining various motion-based sensors, may support professionals in the health domain and increase access to early detection programmes.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA

    Design of emotion-aware mobile apps for autistic children

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    Sensor technologies and facial expression recognition are now widely used by mobile devices to sense our environment and our own physical and mental state. With these technologies today, we have the ability to sense emotions and create emotion-aware apps. One target group that would benefit from emotion-aware Apps are autistic children as they have difficulty understanding and expressing emotions and they are keen mobile device users. However, current mobile apps aimed at autistic children are not emotion-aware. This led our team to design a suite of Apps, called CaptureMyEmotion, that uses wireless sensors to capture physiological data together with facial expression recognition to provide a very personalised way to help autistic children and their carers understanding and managing their emotions. This paper describes how we designed CaptureMyEmotion and it discusses our experience while using sensors and facial expression recognition to detect emotion. It presents in more details the first App we developed for Android phone and tablets, called MyMedia. MyMedia enables children to take photos, videos or sounds, and simultaneously attach emotion data to them. The photos can then be reviewed together with a carer providing them a new way to understand emotions and discussing their daily activities. © 2013 IUPESM and Springer-Verlag

    A systematic review evaluating the implementation of technologies to assess, monitor and treat neurodevelopmental disorders: A map of the current evidence

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    Technology-based interventions provide an attractive option for improving service provision for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), for example, widening access to interventions, objective assessment, and monitoring; however, it is unclear whether there is sufficient evidence to support their use in clinical settings. This review provides an evidence map describing how technology is implemented in the assessment/diagnosis and monitoring/ treatment of NDD (Prospero CRD42018091156). Using predefined search terms in six databases, 7982 articles were identified, 808 full-texts were screened, resulting in 47 included papers. These studies were appraised and synthesised according to the following outcomes of interest: effectiveness (clinical effectiveness/ service delivery efficiencies), economic impact, and user impact (acceptability/ feasibility). The findings describe how technology is currently being utilised clinically, highlights gaps in knowledge, and discusses future research needs. Technology has been used to facilitate assessment and treatment across multiple NDD, especially Autism Spectrum (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) disorders. Technologies include mobile apps/tablets, robots, gaming, computerised tests, videos, and virtual reality. The outcomes presented largely focus on the clinical effectiveness of the technology, with approximately half the papers demonstrating some degree of effectiveness, however, the methodological quality of many studies is limited. Further research should focus on randomised controlled trial designs with longer follow-up periods, incorporating an economic evaluation, as well as qualitative studies including process evaluations and user impact

    An investigation as to how a computerised multimedia intervention could be of use for practitioners supporting learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

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    This practice-based action research investigation seeks to make a valuable, original and academic contribution to knowledge in the computing, language, communication and educational fields. The aim was to establish the therapeutic (language and communication skills) and educational (literacy and numeracy skills) use of individual tailored computer games for practitioners supporting learners (end-users) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This was achieved through a continuous collaboration of cohorts of computing undergraduate students and academics (the development team) carrying out an assignment for a module designed and successfully led by this PhD student (the researcher). The researcher continually collaborated with practitioners (users – teaching staff and speech and language therapists in schools) of learners with ASD over many years. The researcher developed a Computerised Multimedia Therapeutic/Educational Intervention (CMT/EI) process, which used an iterative holistic Design-For-One approach for developing individual computer games. An action research methodology was adopted using methodological triangulation ‘quantitative’ and ‘qualitative’ data collection methods. This was to ascertain as to how tailor-made computerised multimedia games developed, could be evaluated by the users as being of therapeutic/educational use for their learners (end-users) with ASD. The researcher originated profiles to establish the diversity of each learner’s spectrum of therapeutic/educational autistic needs, preferences, capabilities, likes, dislikes and interests. The researcher orchestrated, collaborated and supervised the whole process from individual profiles completed by the practitioners, through to the profiles used as a baseline, by the development team, and to the designing, developing and evaluating iterative customised personalised computer games. Four hundred and sixty-four learners with ASD (end-users) and forty-nine practitioners (users) from nine educational establishments across the UK participated in this investigation. Two stages were carried out in an initial application procedure (with one school) and prototype procedure (with a further six schools and 2 educational establishments). Stage I - Planning, collection, organisation, Design-For-One approach and development. Stage II - Testing, Evaluation, Monitoring, Reflection and Maintenance. Optimistic ‘quantitative’ and ‘qualitative’ evidence emerged (using content analysis) from the implementation of games in the classroom and the practitioner’s therapeutic and educational evaluation of storyboards and games. The documented positive findings led to a conclusion that personalised games which had been developed over a ten-year period, showed to be of therapeutic/educational use to practitioners and their learners with ASD

    XR, music and neurodiversity: design and application of new mixed reality technologies that facilitate musical intervention for children with autism spectrum conditions

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    This thesis, accompanied by the practice outputs,investigates sensory integration, social interaction and creativity through a newly developed VR-musical interface designed exclusively for children with a high-functioning autism spectrum condition (ASC).The results aim to contribute to the limited expanse of literature and research surrounding Virtual Reality (VR) musical interventions and Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) designed to support individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions. The author has developed bespoke hardware, software and a new methodology to conduct field investigations. These outputs include a Virtual Immersive Musical Reality Intervention (ViMRI) protocol, a Supplemental Personalised, immersive Musical Experience(SPiME) programme, the Assisted Real-time Three-dimensional Immersive Musical Intervention System’ (ARTIMIS) and a bespoke (and fully configurable) ‘Creative immersive interactive Musical Software’ application (CiiMS). The outputs are each implemented within a series of institutional investigations of 18 autistic child participants. Four groups are evaluated using newly developed virtual assessment and scoring mechanisms devised exclusively from long-established rating scales. Key quantitative indicators from the datasets demonstrate consistent findings and significant improvements for individual preferences (likes), fear reduction efficacy, and social interaction. Six individual case studies present positive qualitative results demonstrating improved decision-making and sensorimotor processing. The preliminary research trials further indicate that using this virtual-reality music technology system and newly developed protocols produces notable improvements for participants with an ASC. More significantly, there is evidence that the supplemental technology facilitates a reduction in psychological anxiety and improvements in dexterity. The virtual music composition and improvisation system presented here require further extensive testing in different spheres for proof of concept

    Mobile learning and games in special education

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    Information technology is now a ubiquitous presence in all educational settings as well as places in which people work. While most mainstream schools now rely heavily on this technology to support learning, special education was often at the forefront of its adoption even acting as exemplars for mainstream education (Lilley, 2004). Educational virtual environments had been developed in special schools and adult training centres when virtual reality was still a novel technology in education (Standen & Brown, 2004; 2005; 2006). Now no school or educational setting would be imagined without information technology and there have been some exciting developments since those early pioneering days. In this chapter we intend to cover three of those which we think are particularly pertinent for learners with special needs: serious games, mobile computing and the role of users in the development of the technology
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