How Does Technology Benefit Those with Autism?

How Does Technology benefit those with Autism?

Jimmy Robles

National University

        Abstract

My wife came home one day very excited about what happened at her job. She works with teenagers who have been diagnosed with intellectual disabilities, mainly Autism. She told me that today one of her students successfully used his iPad to “tell” her that he wanted a drink of soda. She smiled and told her student that while he couldn’t have a soda she would get him a drink of water. It’s fascinating to think that most of people use iPads, tablets and computers for business or recreation, but to others they are a lifeline to a world that they were once not able to quite fit into. I realized, being somewhat of a tech savvy person myself, I thought “How does technology benefit those with Autism”.

To first understand this you must first understand what Autism is. Autism, also known as ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder is a mental condition, present from birth. It can be associated with intellectual disability and those people with Autism advance in visual skills, music, math and art. But most people with Autism have trouble voicing their feelings and opinions because over 25 percent of those that have Autism are non-verbal. On their website the non-profit organization Autism Speaks, posted an interview that they did with in 2014 with expert, Vicky Clarke MS, CCC-SLP.  She stated:

         I believe the primary benefit of iPad technology is simply the availability of affordable, portable touchscreen technology with a wide variety of applications. We’ve known for years that the computer is a gateway to improving understanding of input (listening & reading) and ability to produce output(speaking & writing) for people with autism. A high percentage of people with autism are motivated by the computer. I believe that this motivation is related to the predictability of the computer’s response. (Clark 2014)

There are many theories and studies as to what causes Autism, but most can agree on their unique ability to learn and function in society. A major part to functioning in society is being able to communicate with others and a large part of this is through facial expressions and body language. Scambler, Hepburn, Rutherford, Wehner, Rogers (2006) conducted a study on children with Autism and their reactions to fear, joy, disgust and pain. They found that children with Autism aged 2-8 years were more likely to exhibit restricted affect and emotions not appropriate for their surroundings or environment. Using these findings they also found that those with Autism responded to fewer of the emotional display tests conducted.

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There has been a large increase in research in the use of computer based learning (CBL) for those with Autism. Many feel that because those with Autism have a natural liking to computers and the controlled environment provided by the computer, CBL can benefit those with Autism. For example, in 2005, Moore, Cheng, McGrath and Powell the authors of the Collaborative Virtual Environment Technology for People with Autism conducted an exploratory study to determine if children with Autism could understand basic human emotions represented by a life like avatar on a computer. Participants ranging in ages from seven to 16 interacted with a program to evaluate their ability to match appropriate facial expressions. They concluded that over 90% of the participants accurately recognized emotions displayed by the avatar.  

Animated movies also play a large role in assisting those with Autism. In 2012, Robyn Young and Miriam Posselt (Robyn 2012) from the school of psychology, Flinders University of South Australia conducted a 3 week home based DVD intervention using the movie The Transporter and Thomas the train. These two animated movies where chosen because of the belief that people with Autism live by a set of patterns and ritualistic ways and the mechanics of the train on the tracks provides this pattern. The predetermined destination of the train and the mechanical movements allowed for the subjects to stay focused on the trains while each train had an animated face on the front of each train. Two groups of children were randomly assigned to watch The Transporter, which train’s face had a more life-like human face and another group was assigned to watch Thomas the Train, which had a more unrealistic type of face. The study found that after 3 weeks of watching each movie there was a significant increase in social behavior and the ability to recognize facial expressions while watching the transporter and little to no improvement while watching Thomas the train.