Design of a Digital Comic Creator (It’s Me) to Facilitate Social Skills Training for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Design Research Approach

Background Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face difficulties in social situations and are often lagging in terms of social skills. Many interventions designed for children with ASD emphasize improving social skills. Although many interventions demonstrate that targeted social skills can be improved in clinical settings, developed social skills are not necessarily applied in children's daily lives at school, sometimes because classmates continue to show negative bias toward children with ASD. Children with ASD do not blame the difficult social situations they encounter on their lack of social skills; their main goal is to be accepted by peers. Objective This study aims to design a comic creator—It's me—that would create comics to serve as transformational boundary objects to facilitate and enact a horizontal interaction structure between high-functioning children with ASD and their peers, aiming to increase mutual understanding between children at school. Methods This research project and this study are structured around the Design Research Framework in order to develop the comic through an iterative-incremental process. Three test sessions, which included 13, 6, and 47 children, respectively, were initiated where the focus shifted in time from usability during the first two tests to the initial assessment of acceptance and feasibility in the third session. A stakeholder review, which included six experts, took place after the second test session. Results A digital comic creator, It's me, was produced within this study. Children can create their own personal comic by filling in a digital questionnaire. Based on concepts of peer support, psychoeducation, and horizontal interaction, It's me has a rigorous base of underlying concepts that have been translated into design. Based on the first test sessions, the comic has shown its potential to initiate personal conversations between children. Teachers are convinced that It's me can be of added value in their classrooms. Conclusions It's me aims to initiate more in-depth conversations between peers, which should lead to more mutual understanding and better relationships between children with ASD and their peers. The first test sessions showed that It's me has the potential to enact horizontal interaction and greater understanding among peers. It's me was designed as a boundary object, aiming to connect the objectives of different stakeholders, and to trigger reflection and transformation learning mechanisms. The applied design research approach might be of added value in the acceptance and adoption of the intervention because children, professionals, and teachers see added value in the tool, each from their own perspectives.

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Design of a Digital Comic Creator (It’s Me) to Facilitate Social Skills Training for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Design Research Approach (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17260 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Gijs Terlouw ◽

Job TB van 't Veer ◽

Jelle T Prins ◽

Derek A Kuipers ◽

Jean-Pierre E N Pierie

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Social Skills ◽

Design Research ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Added Value ◽

Research Approach ◽

Mutual Understanding ◽

Social Situations ◽

Children With Asd

BACKGROUND Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face difficulties in social situations and are often lagging in terms of social skills. Many interventions designed for children with ASD emphasize improving social skills. Although many interventions demonstrate that targeted social skills can be improved in clinical settings, developed social skills are not necessarily applied in children's daily lives at school, sometimes because classmates continue to show negative bias toward children with ASD. Children with ASD do not blame the difficult social situations they encounter on their lack of social skills; their main goal is to be accepted by peers. OBJECTIVE This study aims to design a comic creator—It's me—that would create comics to serve as transformational boundary objects to facilitate and enact a horizontal interaction structure between high-functioning children with ASD and their peers, aiming to increase mutual understanding between children at school. METHODS This research project and this study are structured around the Design Research Framework in order to develop the comic through an iterative-incremental process. Three test sessions, which included 13, 6, and 47 children, respectively, were initiated where the focus shifted in time from usability during the first two tests to the initial assessment of acceptance and feasibility in the third session. A stakeholder review, which included six experts, took place after the second test session. RESULTS A digital comic creator, It's me, was produced within this study. Children can create their own personal comic by filling in a digital questionnaire. Based on concepts of peer support, psychoeducation, and horizontal interaction, It's me has a rigorous base of underlying concepts that have been translated into design. Based on the first test sessions, the comic has shown its potential to initiate personal conversations between children. Teachers are convinced that It's me can be of added value in their classrooms. CONCLUSIONS It's me aims to initiate more in-depth conversations between peers, which should lead to more mutual understanding and better relationships between children with ASD and their peers. The first test sessions showed that It's me has the potential to enact horizontal interaction and greater understanding among peers. It's me was designed as a boundary object, aiming to connect the objectives of different stakeholders, and to trigger reflection and transformation learning mechanisms. The applied design research approach might be of added value in the acceptance and adoption of the intervention because children, professionals, and teachers see added value in the tool, each from their own perspectives.

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A Viable Option?

Innovative Technologies to Benefit Children on the Autism Spectrum - Advances in Medical Technologies and Clinical Practice ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-5792-2.ch009 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 143-162

Author(s):

Julie E. N. Irish

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Social Skills ◽

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Virtual Environments ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Viable Option ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Single User

This chapter considers whether a computer-aided technology, single-user virtual environments, can provide a viable option to teach social skills to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Viability is discussed in terms of key themes found in the literature: evidence-basis, generalizability, cost effectiveness, appropriateness for children with ASD, user experience, teacher’s contribution, and usefulness for caregivers. A matrix is developed to provide a viability rating for each theme. The chapter concludes that evidence-basis and generalizability for single-user virtual environments as an intervention to teach social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder is weak but that cost effectiveness, appropriateness to teenage children with ASD, positive experience of the user, and potential usefulness for caregivers is strong, whilst the teacher’s contribution is a mixed rating between ease of use for the teacher and the high one-on-one time commitment required.

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Computer- and Robot-Assisted Therapies to Aid Social and Intellectual Functioning of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina55080440 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 55 (8) ◽

pp. 440 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Joan DiPietro ◽

Arpad Kelemen ◽

Yulan Liang ◽

Cecilia Sik-Lanyi

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Social Skills ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Robot Assisted ◽

The Past ◽

Children With Asd ◽

The Social

Background and objectives: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience challenges with social interactions, a core feature of the disorder. Social skills therapy has been shown to be helpful. Over the past several years, computer-assisted and robot-assisted therapies have been infiltrating the social skills teaching environment. Rapid progress in the field of technology, especially in the robotics area, offers tremendous possibilities for innovation and treatment or even education for individuals with ASD. This paper’s purpose is to drive awareness of these innovative interventions in order to support the social lives of children with ASD. The aims of the paper are identifying (1) the types of Information Technology platforms that are being evaluated in computer and robot-assisted therapies for children with ASD; (2) the various disciplines or professions studying and utilizing these computer and robot-assisted social skill therapies; (3) the outcomes being evaluated in each trial; and (4) if results demonstrate benefits to children with autism. Materials and Methods: PubMed, CINAHL, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases were searched for clinical trials published over the past five years. Search terms incorporated the subject intersection of autism, and computer or robot-assisted therapy. Results were mined for pediatric populations only and study designs establishing controlled comparisons. Results: Eighteen unique international studies were identified that utilize robot interventions (11 studies) and serious computer game interventions (seven studies). Most demonstrated promising results in improving outcomes for children with ASD. Study implications reveal a rapidly evolving assistive technology for ASD social skills therapy. Conclusions: These interventions show considerable promise, but more effectiveness and cost effectiveness research of high quality should be carried out with larger numbers of children. Also, further studies are necessary to evaluate these technologies’ effectiveness amongst adults with ASD and within unique subsets of the higher functioning autism population.

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Social Skills Instruments for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis

Journal of Music Therapy ◽

10.1093/jmt/thaa017 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Rebecca West ◽

Michael J Silverman

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Social Skills ◽

Music Therapy ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Critical Interpretive Synthesis

Abstract Identifying and critically analyzing the most frequently used social skills psychometric instruments (SSPI) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can inform future music therapy research and clinical practice. Therefore, the initial purpose of this critical interpretive synthesis was to identify the SSPI most frequently used as dependent measures in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (JADD) for children with ASD from 2012 to 2018. Results indicated that the Social Responsiveness Scale (n = 35), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (n = 19), and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (n = 15) were the most frequently used instruments. Congruent with critical interpretive synthesis methodology, we then identified the psychometric properties and advantages and disadvantages of the 9 most commonly used instruments. To compare these results with the existing music therapy literature, we also identified nonmusical SSPI used as dependent measures in music therapy research for children with ASD in studies published between 2012 and 2018. In comparing the data sets, music therapy researchers used 5 of the 9 SSPI we identified from our JADD review. Understanding frequently used SSPI has applications for consultation and communication with other professionals as well as how future music therapy research is conducted. Implications for clinical practice, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are provided.

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A Viable Option?

Mobile Computing and Wireless Networks ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8751-6.ch088 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 2006-2024

Author(s):

Julie E. N. Irish

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Social Skills ◽

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Virtual Environments ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Viable Option ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Single User

This chapter considers whether a computer-aided technology, single-user virtual environments, can provide a viable option to teach social skills to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Viability is discussed in terms of key themes found in the literature: evidence-basis, generalizability, cost effectiveness, appropriateness for children with ASD, user experience, teacher's contribution, and usefulness for caregivers. A matrix is developed to provide a viability rating for each theme. The chapter concludes that evidence-basis and generalizability for single-user virtual environments as an intervention to teach social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder is weak but that cost effectiveness, appropriateness to teenage children with ASD, positive experience of the user, and potential usefulness for caregivers is strong, whilst the teacher's contribution is a mixed rating between ease of use for the teacher and the high one-on-one time commitment required.

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GAMBARAN KETERAMPILAN SOSIAL EMOSI ANAK AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) DI SEKOLAH PAUD INKLUSI BUNDA GANESA

Edukid ◽

10.17509/edukid.v14i1.17088 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Aulia Rahmawati Dewi ◽

Juhanaini Juhanaini ◽

Aan Listiana

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Social Skills ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Education School

The Description of Social Emotional Skills Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Paud Inklusi Bunda Ganesha. Much research on emotional-social skills has been done; however, there is limited research on the emotional-social skills and stimulations for young children, especially those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Therefore, the writer attempts to conduct research on ASD children focusing on their emotional-social skills. The problem in this research is formulated this way: “How are the emotional-social skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Bunda Ganesa Early Childhood Education School described?” The research adopted a descriptive method with the qualitative approach. Qualitative research was selected because this research emphasizes investigative efforts to (naturally) study the on-going phenomena in the finding of the emotional-social skills of children with ASD at Bunda Ganesa Early Childhood Education School. The research involved a four-year-old boy diagnosed with ASD. The research was conducted from October 1 – November 7, 2014. The findings show that children with ASD experience some obstacles, which support the existing theories, where children with ASD have difficulties in communicating, tend to avoid eye contact (not focused), and have difficulties in using gestures to communicate. In addition, children with ASD are inclined to enjoy being alone and become disinterested in playing with their friends. In the field, it is not impossible that the writer finds obstacles and problems during the writing of this undergraduate thesis. Teachers and schools are recommended to pay more attention and help improve the development of children with ASD because children have much potential to develop. Gambaran Keterampilan Sosial Emosi Anak Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) di Sekolah PAUD Inklusi Bunda Ganesa. Berbagai Penelitian Keterampilan Sosial emosional telah banyak dilakukan, namun dalam penjelasan tentang keterampilan sosial emosional serta stimulasi bagi anak usia dini masih sangat terbatas terutama bagi anak ASD. Untuk itu penulis mencoba meneliti anak ASD mengenai keterampilan sosial emosinya. Rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah Bagaimana Gambaran Keterampilan Sosial Emosi Anak Autism Spectrum Disorder di Sekolah PAUD Inklusi Bunda Ganesa. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif dengan pendekatan kualitatif. Penelitian kualitatif atau kajian kualitatif digunakan dalam penelitian ini karena penelitian ini menekankan pada upaya investigatif untuk mengkaji secara ( alamiah), fenomena yang tengah terjadi dalam mengetahui keterampilan sosial emosi anak Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) di sekolah PAUD Inklusi Bunda Ganesa. Subjek penelitian yang terlibat dalam penelitian ini adalah Anak laki-laki yang berusia 4 tahun yang di diagnosa mengalami Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Pelaksanaan dimulai dari tanggal 1 Oktober -7 November 2014. Hasil Penelitian yang ditemukan anak ASD ini mengalami beberapa hambatan yang sesuai dengan teori yang sudah ada, dimana anak yang mengalami ASD akan mengalami kesulitan berkomunikasi, ia akan menghindari kontak mata (tidak fokus), kesulitan dalam menggunakan sikap tubuh untuk berkomunikasi. Dan cenderung anak yang mengalami ASD ini lebih senang untuk menyendiri dan tidak tertarik untuk bermain bersama teman-temannya. Dalam pelaksanaan di lapangan penulis tidak menutup kemungkinan penulis menemui hambatan dan kendala-kendala yang muncul pada saat melakukan penulisan skripsi ini. Rekomendasi untuk Orangtua, Lembaga sekolah sebaiknya lebih memperhatikan dan membantu meningkatkan perkembangan anak ASD. Karna ada beberapa perkembangan anak yang dapat terus dimotivasi agar berkembang.

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The Development of an Escape Room–Based Serious Game to Trigger Social Interaction and Communication Between High-Functioning Children With Autism and Their Peers: Iterative Design Approach

JMIR Serious Games ◽

10.2196/19765 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. e19765

Author(s):

Gijs Terlouw ◽

Derek Kuipers ◽

Job van 't Veer ◽

Jelle T Prins ◽

Jean Pierre E N Pierie

Keyword(s):

Social Skills ◽

Design Process ◽

Design Research ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Serious Game ◽

Boundary Object ◽

High Functioning ◽

Iterative Design ◽

Children With Asd

Background Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have social deficits that affect social interactions, communication, and relationships with peers. Many existing interventions focus mainly on improving social skills in clinical settings. In addition to the direct instruction–based programs, activity-based programs could be of added value, especially to bridge the relational gap between children with ASD and their peers. Objective The aim of this study is to describe an iterative design process for the development of an escape room–based serious game as a boundary object. The purpose of the serious game is to facilitate direct communication between high-functioning children with ASD and their peers, for the development of social skills on the one hand and strengthening relationships with peers through a fun and engaging activity on the other hand. Methods This study is structured around the Design Research Framework to develop an escape room through an iterative-incremental process. With a pool of 37 children, including 23 children diagnosed with ASD (5 girls) and 14 children (7 girls) attending special primary education for other additional needs, 4 testing sessions around different prototypes were conducted. The beta prototype was subsequently reviewed by experts (n=12). During the design research process, we examined in small steps whether the developed prototypes are feasible and whether they have the potential to achieve the formulated goals of different stakeholders. Results By testing various prototypes, several insights were found and used to improve the design. Insights were gained in finding a fitting and appealing theme for the children, composing the content, and addressing different constraints in applying the goals from the children’s and therapeutic perspectives. Eventually, a multiplayer virtual escape room, AScapeD, was developed. Three children can play the serious game in the same room on tablets. The first test shows that the game enacts equal cooperation and communication among the children. Conclusions This paper presents an iterative design process for AScapeD. AScapeD enacts equal cooperation and communication in a playful way between children with ASD and their peers. The conceptual structure of an escape room contributes to the natural emergence of communication and cooperation. The iterative design process has been beneficial for finding a constructive game structure to address all formulated goals, and it contributed to the design of a serious game as a boundary object that mediates the various objectives of different stakeholders. We present 5 lessons learned from the design process. The developed prototype is feasible and has the potential to achieve the goals of the serious game.

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Virtual Reality–Based Social Skills Training for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Special Education Technology ◽

10.1177/0162643420945603 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 016264342094560 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Fengfeng Ke ◽

Jewoong Moon ◽

Zlatko Sokolikj

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Social Skills ◽

Learning Environment ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Skills Training ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Skills Learning

In this study, the researchers explored the usage of a virtual reality (VR)–based social skills learning environment for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using OpenSimulator, the researchers constructed a desktop VR-based learning environment that supports social-oriented role-play, gaming, and design by children with ASD. Seven 10–14 years old children with ASD participated in this VR-based social skills program for 20+ hr on average. Data were collected via screen recording and observation of play- and design-oriented social skills enactment and pre- and postintervention Social Communication and Skills Questionnaires. Participants demonstrated an increased level of successful social skills performance from the baseline to the intervention phase. The findings provided preliminary evidence for the usage of a VR-based social skills learning environment for children with ASD.

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Predicting Expressive Language From Early Vocalizations in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Which Vocal Measure Is Best?

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00281 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (5) ◽

pp. 1509-1520

Author(s):

Jena McDaniel ◽

Paul Yoder ◽

Annette Estes ◽

Sally J. Rogers

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Young Children ◽

Language Skills ◽

Expressive Language ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Incremental Validity ◽

Added Value ◽

Children With Asd

Purpose This study was designed to test the incremental validity of more expensive vocal development variables relative to less expensive variables for predicting later expressive language in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We devote particular attention to the added value of coding the quality of vocalizations over the quantity of vocalizations because coding quality adds expense to the coding process. We are also interested in the added value of more costly human-coded vocal variables relative to those generated through automated analyses. Method Eighty-seven children with ASD aged 13–30 months at study initiation participated. For quantity of vocalizations, we derived one variable from human coding of brief communication samples and one from an automated process for daylong naturalistic audio samples. For quality of vocalizations, we derived four human-coded variables and one automated variable. A composite expressive language measure was derived at study entry, and 6 and 12 months later. The 12 months–centered intercept of a simple linear growth trajectory was used to quantify later expressive language. Results When statistically controlling for human-coded or automated quantity of vocalization variables, human-coded quality of vocalization variables exhibited incremental validity for predicting later expressive language skills. Human-coded vocal variables also predicted later expressive language skills when controlling for the analogous automated vocal variables. Conclusion In sum, these findings support devoting resources to human coding of the quality of vocalizations from communication samples to predict later expressive language skills in young children with ASD despite the greater costs of deriving these variables. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12276458

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A Systematic Review of Caregiver-Implemented Mealtime Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

OTJR Occupation Participation and Health ◽

10.1177/1539449218765459 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 196-207

Author(s):

Julie Diaz ◽

Joanna Cosbey

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Research Design ◽

Design Research ◽

Single Case ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Children With Asd

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently have difficult mealtimes. A systematic review analyzed current evidence relevant to occupational therapy (OT) and mealtime interventions (a) for children with ASD, (b) occurring in the natural contexts, and (c) with parents/caregivers as interventionists. Database search identified 13 relevant articles. Each article was reviewed for practicality of implementation through a modified Feasibility, Appropriateness, Meaningfulness and Effectiveness (FAME) scale and for quality of research design using three measures specifically designed for single-case experimental design research. The majority of articles reviewed demonstrated rigorous research design with strong evidence for the effectiveness of caregiver-implemented interventions. Six intervention techniques were identified, with all studies using a reinforcement strategy and at least one other technique. This review identifies evidence-based practices for OTs to support children with ASD and their families within the natural co-occupation of mealtimes. Effective techniques and recommendations for practice are included.

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