A designer's approach: How can autistic adults with learning disabilities be involved in the design process?

Autistic adults with limited speech and additional learning disabilities who are often excluded from design research are at the heart of this project. These are people whose perceptions, experiences and interactions with their surroundings are unique, but also are people who may not be able to communicate verbally their differences to the remaining 99% of the population. This, in combination with their distinctive cognitive profile, has resulted in a lack of studies involving people living with autism, and consequently their life experiences may neither be heard nor understood and remain largely unexplored. By reflecting upon the ongoing design collaboration between The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and the autism charity The Kingwood Trust, this paper reflects on the approach and methods used in three design studies. Particular attention is paid towards the careful selection, adaptation and development of collaborative design methods for autistic adults and their support staff to be involved. By working beyond the boundaries of a neurotypical culture, the project aims to support the greater goal of improving the everyday experiences of people living with autism by breaking down the barriers to participation

Blending human and artificial intelligence to support autistic children’s social communication skills

This paper examines the educational efficacy of a learning environment in which children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) engage in social interactions with an artificially intelligent (AI) virtual agent and where a human practitioner acts in support of the interactions. A multi-site intervention study in schools across the UK was conducted with 29 children with ASC and learning difficulties, aged 4-14 years old. For reasons related to data completeness and amount of exposure to the AI environment, data for 15 children was included in the analysis. The analysis revealed a significant increase in the proportion of social responses made by ASC children to human practitioners. The number of initiations made to human practitioners and to the virtual agent by the ASC children also increased numerically over the course of the sessions. However, due to large individual differences within the ASC group, this did not reach significance. Although no evidence of transfer to the real-world post-test was shown, anecdotal evidence of classroom transfer was reported. The work presented in this paper offers an important contribution to the growing body of research in the context of AI technology design and use for autism intervention in real school contexts. Specifically, the work highlights key methodological challenges and opportunities in this area by leveraging interdisciplinary insights in a way that (i) bridges between educational interventions and intelligent technology design practices, (ii) considers the design of technology as well as the design of its use (context and procedures) on par with one another, and (iii) includes design contributions from different stakeholders, including children with and without ASC diagnosis, educational practitioners and researchers

The potential significance of the breaching of small farm dams in the Sneeuberg region, South Africa

Purpose The significance of small farm dams in regulating water and sediment flows to downstream water storage reservoirs is identified as an important issue in South Africa where water shortages are a major current and likely future problem. The role of farm dam breaching, subsequent release of stored sediment and re-connection of the upstream sediment production areas to the downstream channels is a neglected topic in geomorphology. Materials and methods We have mapped the location and estimated the volume of sediment stored in small farm dams in a sample area of ~100 km2 in the Sneeuberg uplands. Detailed studies at four cored dams have used 137Cs, 210Pb, mineral magnetism and sediment stratigraphy to date sediments, correlate time-synchronous levels in the deposits, estimate sediment yields to the dams and identify significant changes in sediment sources. Dam breaching episodes have been recorded and related to local rainfall. We use published data on the water and sediment capacity of a nearby large water storage reservoir to illustrate the potential threat of small dam breaching to the long-term sustainability of water resource provision. Results and discussion The high density of small dams in the study area (~1 dam km−2), and the fact that almost 50% are full of sediment, suggests a high potential for breaching. Breaching has already occurred at ~30% of small dams. Extrapolation of the dam density and stored sediment volumes to a nearby catchment of a water storage reservoir, the Nqweba dam, suggests that up to 72 million m3 of sediment in small farm dams could be released through breaching. The current rate of sediment input into the reservoir of ~1 million m3 year−1 will fill the remaining capacity by 2025. This does not take into account the effects on sediment yield of dam breaching, climate and land use change, or the re-connection of upper with lower catchments as a result of breaching. Conclusions Serious issues of water supply in South Africa need to address the potential for enhanced sedimentation rates in major reservoirs due to the breaching of small farm dams. The risk of breaching will be exacerbated by changing farm economies, neglect of dam maintenance and climate change, particularly the increase in rainfall intensity which has already been observed in the region

Developing technology for autism: an interdisciplinary approach

We present an interdisciplinary methodology for designing interactive multi-modal technology for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). In line with many other researchers in the field, we believe that the key to developing technology in this context is to embrace perspectives from diverse disciplines to arrive at a methodology that delivers satisfactory outcomes for all stakeholders. The ECHOES project provided us with the opportunity to develop a technology-enhanced learning (TEL) environment that facilitates acquisition and exploration of social skills by typically developing (TD) children and children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). ECHOES’ methodology and the learning environment rely crucially on multi-disciplinary expertise including developmental psychology, visual arts, human–computer interaction, artificial intelligence, education, and several other cognate disciplines. In this article, we reflect on the methods needed to develop a TEL environment for young users with ASDs by identifying key features, benefits, and challenges of this approach

Developing technology for autism:an interdisciplinary approach

We present an interdisciplinary methodology for designing interactive multi-modal technology for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). In line with many other researchers in the field, we believe that the key to developing technology in this context is to embrace perspectives from diverse disciplines to arrive at a methodology that delivers satisfactory outcomes for all stakeholders. The ECHOES project provided us with the opportunity to develop a technology-enhanced learning (TEL) environment that facilitates acquisition and exploration of social skills by typically developing (TD) children and children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). ECHOES’ methodology and the learning environment rely crucially on multi-disciplinary expertise including developmental psychology, visual arts, human–computer interaction, artificial intelligence, education, and several other cognate disciplines. In this article, we reflect on the methods needed to develop a TEL environment for young users with ASDs by identifying key features, benefits, and challenges of this approach