“An Exploration of the Effectiveness of the use of Communication Apps through Mobile Devices on children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)” Ms. Miriam O’ Sullivan Institute of Technology Tralee Principal Supervisor: Dr. Tom Farrelly (Institute of Technology Tralee) Co-Supervisor: Mr. Peter Given (Institute of Technology Tralee) NANO NAGLE SCHOOL LISTOWEL

Context- Glossary of terms: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Complex neurological disorder (Bluestone, 2005). Effects social, communication and behaviour skills. Heterogeneous condition. Picture Exchange Communication System (P.E.C.S.) (Frost and Bondy, 2012). Mobile devices: Smartphones, Tablets, iPad, iPod, iPhone. Communication Apps: Seven categories Examples include: Proloquo2go, Grace, LetMeTalk, Voice4u, etc.

What’s it Like?

Research Questions Do the children show preference to using the mobile device as opposed to the folder? Is the child independent in managing the vocabulary library? What effects has the use of the Communication App and mobile device had on a child’s life in relation to home, school and the community?

There’s already an App for that- Reinventing the wheel!

When and How? Current research: Availability (Stokes, 2011; De Leo et al., 2010; Winograd, 2010). Sources. Design methodology. Development of Communication Apps that are currently available: Software developers (McEwen, 2014). Parents of children with ASD. Onei was developed by a Social Care Professional in partnership with a school for children with Special Needs (Nano Nagle School Listowel) – an emphasis on empirical evidence.

What makes this research interdisciplinary? Action Research and User-Centred Design UPA Designing the User Experience Mixed method approach to data collection

Data collection: Participant Profile Interviews Staff (Classroom teachers and Speech and Language Therapists) Parents Observations Informal Formal- Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (Autism Research Institute) Focus Group Questionnaires Staff Parents

Designing for the user: User-Centered Design

Designing with the user Ethical Approval: Distribute letters of information and informed consent through the research site (the school distributes the letters to potential participants and their parents on behalf of the researcher in order to comply with ethical guidelines). User Profiles: to be completed by classroom teachers. Confidentiality is essential and only the primary researcher has access to these profiles. These profiles assist the researcher in observations and in developing user requirements. Data Protection Act. Researcher to up skill in order to learn programming languages to develop the App (HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript). Collaborate with Programmers (iMAR). Provide parents and staff with a written plan of implementation. Researcher is on-site for the first week to demonstrate use and ensure children are being trained correctly on how to use the App. Researcher visiting each classroom and child to assist with implementation. Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), Observations and Usability Testing.

Initial Findings:  Triangulation of theory: from theory to practice Current use of mobile devices: Availability of mobile devices in Ireland (Eircom Household Sentiment Survey, 2013). Effects of using Apps and mobile devices on children with ASD (Quillen, 2011; Bradshaw, 2013; De Leo et al., 2010; McEwen, 2014). Initial findings from field research are encouraging. User requirements: Sensory processing (Hatch-Rasmussen, 2015; Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation, 2015). Motor skills (Hayes et al., 2010). App features. Development of frameworks for building with children with ASD as opposed to for children with ASD.

Conclusion: Value of interdisciplinary partnerships. Development of future technologies. Potential benefits of using a communication App for children with ASD.

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