scholarly journals Recognition of Emotions for People with Autism: An Approach to Improve Skills

2022 ◽  
Vol 2022 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Adilmar Coelho Dantas ◽  
Marcelo Zanchetta do Nascimento
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Repetitive Behavior ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Basic Emotions ◽  
Emotional Skills

Autism spectrum disorder refers to a neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by repetitive behavior patterns, impaired social interaction, and impaired verbal and nonverbal communication. The ability to recognize mental states from facial expressions plays an important role in both social interaction and interpersonal communication. Thus, in recent years, several proposals have been presented, aiming to contribute to the improvement of emotional skills in order to improve social interaction. In this paper, a game is presented to support the development of emotional skills in people with autism spectrum disorder. The software used helps to develop the ability to recognize and express six basic emotions: joy, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise, and fear. Based on the theory of facial action coding systems and digital image processing techniques, it is possible to detect facial expressions and classify them into one of the six basic emotions. Experiments were performed using four public domain image databases (CK+, FER2013, RAF-DB, and MMI) and a group of children with autism spectrum disorder for evaluating the existing emotional skills. The results showed that the proposed software contributed to improvement of the skills of detection and recognition of the basic emotions in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

scholarly journals Fostering Emotion Recognition in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Vinícius Silva ◽  
Filomena Soares ◽  
João Sena Esteves ◽  
Cristina P. Santos ◽  
Ana Paula Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Robotic Platform ◽  
Children With Asd

Facial expressions are of utmost importance in social interactions, allowing communicative prompts for a speaking turn and feedback. Nevertheless, not all have the ability to express themselves socially and emotionally in verbal and non-verbal communication. In particular, individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are characterized by impairments in social communication, repetitive patterns of behaviour, and restricted activities or interests. In the literature, the use of robotic tools is reported to promote social interaction with children with ASD. The main goal of this work is to develop a system capable of automatic detecting emotions through facial expressions and interfacing them with a robotic platform (Zeno R50 Robokind® robotic platform, named ZECA) in order to allow social interaction with children with ASD. ZECA was used as a mediator in social communication activities. The experimental setup and methodology for a real-time facial expression (happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and neutral) recognition system was based on the Intel® RealSense™ 3D sensor and on facial features extraction and multiclass Support Vector Machine classifier. The results obtained allowed to infer that the proposed system is adequate in support sessions with children with ASD, giving a strong indication that it may be used in fostering emotion recognition and imitation skills.

scholarly journals ALTRIRAS: A Computer Game for Training Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Recognition of Basic Emotions

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro M. Almeida ◽  
Diego P. da Silva ◽  
Daieny P. Theodório ◽  
Wolley W. Silva ◽  
Silvia Cristina M. Rodrigues ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Basic Emotions ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
System Usability Scale

This paper presents a computer game developed to assist children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to recognize facial expressions associated with the four basic emotions: joy, sadness, anger, and surprise. This game named ALTRIRAS is a role-playing game (RPG), a kind of game pointed out by the literature as the most suitable for these children for being more social than competitive. It has recreational settings built with 2D graphic interface to keep the children’s attention and an access control and a register mechanism to allow the monitoring of the child’s progress. The data collection of the functional, nonfunctional, psychological, and educational requirements, as well as the evaluation of its consistency and usability, was made by a multidisciplinary team consisting of five experts in each of the following expertises: pedagogy, psychology, psychopedagogy, and game development. The effectiveness test of the game was performed by 10 children with ASD and 28 children with neurotypical development, which were separated into control and experimental groups, respectively. All experts and children with neurotypical development answered the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire after playing the game. The results were positive, between experts and volunteers regarding their acceptance. However, the time of exposure to the game in children with ASD should be increased to effective assistance in the recognition of facial expressions.

scholarly journals Autism and its Obstetrical Causes

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-48
Author(s):  
Petrikovsky Boris
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Developmental Disorder ◽  
Repetitive Behavior ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by abnormal social interaction and communication and manifested by repetitive behavior. Parents notice signs of autism in the first two or three years of their child’s life.

scholarly journals The Gut-Brain Axis in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Focus on the Metalloproteases ADAM10 and ADAM17

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Yuanpeng Zheng ◽  
Tessa A. Verhoeff ◽  
Paula Perez Pardo ◽  
Johan Garssen ◽  
Aletta D. Kraneveld
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intestinal Tract ◽  
Synapse Formation ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Repetitive Behavior ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Protein Substrates ◽  
Specific Proteins ◽  
Membrane Bound

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a spectrum of disorders that are characterized by problems in social interaction and repetitive behavior. The disease is thought to develop from changes in brain development at an early age, although the exact mechanisms are not known yet. In addition, a significant number of people with ASD develop problems in the intestinal tract. A Disintegrin And Metalloproteases (ADAMs) include a group of enzymes that are able to cleave membrane-bound proteins. ADAM10 and ADAM17 are two members of this family that are able to cleave protein substrates involved in ASD pathogenesis, such as specific proteins important for synapse formation, axon signaling and neuroinflammation. All these pathological mechanisms are involved in ASD. Besides the brain, ADAM10 and ADAM17 are also highly expressed in the intestines. ADAM10 and ADAM17 have implications in pathways that regulate gut permeability, homeostasis and inflammation. These metalloproteases might be involved in microbiota-gut–brain axis interactions in ASD through the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses in the intestinal tract. In this review, the potential roles of ADAM10 and ADAM17 in the pathology of ASD and as targets for new therapies will be discussed, with a focus on the gut–brain axis.

Assessment and Treatment of Selective Mutism in a Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
pp. 153465012098345
Author(s):  
Mirela Cengher ◽  
Joy C. Clayborne ◽  
Adrianna E. Crouch ◽  
Julia T. O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Selective Mutism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Assessment And Treatment

Over 60% of children diagnosed with selective mutism are also diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Previous research established that behavioral interventions are effective at increasing speech in children with both diagnoses. However, few studies conducted assessments to determine environmental variables that inhibit speech, and such assessments are necessary for the development of effective and efficient treatments. This case study describes an assessment that evaluated the function(s) of selective mutism. The results confirmed that the participant did not talk to avoid social interaction and that mutism occurred primarily in the presence of multiple, unfamiliar people. Our first treatment focused on increasing tolerance for social interaction, demonstrated by an increase in speech production in the presence of unfamiliar people. Our second treatment focused on increasing qualitative aspects of the participant’s speech (i.e., both responses and initiations). Finally, we taught the participant’s parents to implement the treatment in naturalistic settings, and the participant demonstrated generalization of treatment effects across people and settings. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Changing diagnostic practices: autism spectrum disorder

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Woodbury-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Classification System ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Nosology ◽  
Diagnostic Practices

SummaryIn medical practice it is crucial that symptom descriptions are as precise and objective as possible, which psychiatry attempts to achieve through its psychopathological lexicon. The term ‘autism spectrum disorder’ has now entered psychiatric nosology, but the symptom definitions on which it is based are not robust, potentially making reliable and valid diagnoses a problem. This is further compounded by the spectral nature of the disorder and its lack of clear diagnostic boundaries. To overcome this, there is a need for a psychopathological lexicon of 'social cognition’ and a classification system that splits rather than lumps disorders with core difficulties in social interaction.

scholarly journals Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Intervention, and Counseling Needs of the Families in Jordan

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Emad Mohammad ali ◽  
Fatimah eid ziad Al- Adwan ◽  
Yazan M. Al-Naimat
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Nonverbal Communication ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Behavioral Patterns ◽  
Dramatic Rise ◽  
Counseling Needs

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the most confusing disorders for which not only no exact cause has been identified, but also no definitive cure has been found yet. Autism is a disorder that is usually observed on the child at an early age, affecting various developmental aspects. Its development is abnormal. It shows an imbalance in its social interaction, characterized by repetition of certain behavioral patterns and challenges in verbal and nonverbal communication with others. Over the last few decades, its prevalence showed a dramatic rise; an observation that encouraged many researchers across the globe to try to explore all its aspects from etiology to diagnosis and intervention. Because of the difficulties in teaching children with autism, the families in Jordan encounter many challenges and stresses. This paper discusses the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, treatment, types and the counseling needs of the families in Jordan.

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