scholarly journals Augmented Reality for Autistic Children to Enhance Their Understanding of Facial Expressions

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Mohammad Wedyan ◽  
Jannat Falah ◽  
Ryan Alturki ◽  
Irini Giannopulu ◽  
Salsabeel F. M. Alfalah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Computer Technology ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
And Behavior

Difficulty in understanding the feelings and behavior of other people is considered one of the main symptoms of autism. Computer technology has increasingly been used in interventions with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), especially augmented reality, to either treat or alleviate ASD symptomatology. Augmented reality is an engaging type of technology that helps children interact easily and understand and remember information, and it is not limited to one age group or level of education. This study utilized AR to display faces with six different basic facial expressions—happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, disgust, and anger—to help children to recognize facial features and associate facial expressions with a simultaneous human condition. The most important point of this system is that children can interact with the system in a friendly and safe way. Additionally, our results showed the system enhanced social interactions, talking, and facial expressions for both autistic and typical children. Therefore, AR might have a significant upcoming role in talking about the therapeutic necessities of children with ASD. This paper presents evidence for the feasibility of one of the specialized AR systems.

scholarly journals Plain faces are more expressive: comparative study of facial colour, mobility and musculature in primates

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 20140275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharlene E. Santana ◽  
Seth D. Dobson ◽  
Rui Diogo
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Facial Nucleus ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
Colour Patterns

Facial colour patterns and facial expressions are among the most important phenotypic traits that primates use during social interactions. While colour patterns provide information about the sender's identity, expressions can communicate its behavioural intentions. Extrinsic factors, including social group size, have shaped the evolution of facial coloration and mobility, but intrinsic relationships and trade-offs likely operate in their evolution as well. We hypothesize that complex facial colour patterning could reduce how salient facial expressions appear to a receiver, and thus species with highly expressive faces would have evolved uniformly coloured faces. We test this hypothesis through a phylogenetic comparative study, and explore the underlying morphological factors of facial mobility. Supporting our hypothesis, we find that species with highly expressive faces have plain facial colour patterns. The number of facial muscles does not predict facial mobility; instead, species that are larger and have a larger facial nucleus have more expressive faces. This highlights a potential trade-off between facial mobility and colour patterning in primates and reveals complex relationships between facial features during primate evolution.

scholarly journals Technology-Assisted Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder using Augmented Reality

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 2156-2162
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavior Skills ◽  
And Behavior

Technology-assisted intervention has potentials in improving the social, communication and behavior impairments in of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Augmented reality (AR) offers multitude of possibilities and opportunities for the intervention of children with ASD. Therefore, this study identifies 13 researches from 2012 to 2018 that documented the efficacy of augmented reality applications in supporting the intervention of children with ASD. This study reviews the applications of augmented reality that nhanced the intervention for children with autism in (i) social skills, (ii) communication skills, and (iii) behavior skills. The conclusion reports the significant roles of augmented reality as technology-assisted intervention for children with ASD.

scholarly journals An augmented reality system to enhance facial expressions recognision in autistic children

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Hawar Bahzad Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Therapy ◽  
3D Objects ◽  
Augmented Reality System ◽  
Facial Expres ◽  
Spectrum Condition

In the past decade, Augmented Reality (AR) has been applied in several professional practice areas, including but not limited to autism therapy. AR supplies virtual information to the visual perceptions of users, giving the user new tools to ensure that knowledge for many processes and in many environments are comprehended efficiently. Usually, AR applications depend on virtual reality headset (VR-box) to overlay virtual objects and text on the surrounding environment of the user.People with autism spectrum condition (ASC) especially children are often found lacking in social interaction, including facial expres-sion and understanding of other minds which make social communication more difficult for them. This paper aims to use AR system to assist children with (ASC) in better understanding facial expressions by overlaying suggested 3d objects over the physical environment. Results of AR treatment found higher engagement and more effective compare to a non-AR system.This paper utilizes Vuforia to create an AR environment for the treatment of children with ASC. Vuforia is a software development kit that provides AR capabilities to smartphone devices.

Enhancement of flexible cognition in autism

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S383-S383
Author(s):  
C. Varanda ◽  
F.D.M. Fernandes
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Perseverative Errors ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Larger Sample

Autism is defined by qualitative deficits in communication, social interaction and restricted patterns of interests and behavior. There are also reported difficulties in the dynamic activation and modification of cognitive processes in response to changes in tasks demands. It is assumed that poor flexible cognition is related to those difficulties. This research aimed to assess and intervene in cognitive flexibility in subjects with autism.Ten subjects diagnosed with autism by psychiatrists, aged 5y to 13y5m, were assessed in cognitive flexibility through WCST in pretest and in patterns of social interactions, behaviors and communication through ADI-R. An intervention program with 14 to 21 sessions designed to enhance cognitive flexibility through activities of local coherence inference, constructive praxis, attentional shifting, inhibitory control, besides drama games after reading stories. In posttest, they were assessed in WCST and ADI-R. Raw scores of categories completed and perseverative errors and responses were used.Regarding flexible cognition, perseverative errors and responses were lower in posttest (P = 0.028). Categories completed were improved in posttest (P = 0.049). Total scores on ADI-R were lower in posttest (P = 0.051) and as well as scores on communication abilities (P = 0.033).The qualitative improvement showed by the individuals of this research concerning flexible cognition and also patterns of restricted behavior, social interaction and communication abilities suggests that individuals with autism can benefit from the development of strategies for the rehabilitation of flexible cognition and more research is suggested with a larger sample among subjects on the autism spectrum.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Pogz deficiency leads to abnormal behavior, transcription dysregulation and impaired cerebellar physiology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reut Suliman ◽  
Ben Title ◽  
Yahel Cohen ◽  
Maayan Tal ◽  
Nitzan Tal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Firing Frequency ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Conditional Knockout ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Abnormal Behavior ◽  
Chromatin Regulators ◽  
Transcription Dysregulation ◽  
Cerebellar Purkinje Cells ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractGenes implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are enriched with chromatin regulators, but the mechanisms leading to the abnormal behavior and cognition are still unclear. Animal models are crucial for studying the effects of mutations on brain function and behavior. We generated conditional knockout mice with brain-specific mutation in Pogz, a heterochromatin regulator recurrently mutated in ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and demonstrated that these mice display phenotypes that resemble the human condition. Pogz deficiency led to smaller brain, growth impairment, motor learning deficits, and increased social interactions that mimic the human overly friendly phenotype. At the molecular level, reporter assay indicated that POGZ functions as a negative regulator of transcription through its interaction with HP1 proteins. In accordance, we found a significant upregulation of gene expression, most notably in the cerebellum. Furthermore, Pogz deficiency was associated with a significant reduction in the firing frequency of simple and complex spikes in cerebellar Purkinje cells with no changes in their intrinsic properties. Overall, our findings support a mechanism linking heterochromatin dysregulation to cerebellar circuit dysfunction and to motor and social abnormalities in ASD.

scholarly journals Evaluating Social Interactions Using the Autism Screening Instrument for Education Planning-3rd Edition (ASIEP-3): Interaction Assessment in Children and Adults with Fragile X Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 248
Author(s):  
Lisa Cordeiro ◽  
Marcia Braden ◽  
Elizabeth Coan ◽  
Nanastasia Welnick ◽  
Tanea Tanda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Fragile X Syndrome ◽  
Fragile X ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Screening Instrument ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Autism Screening ◽  
And Behavior

An efficient and direct measure of social interactions and autism symptoms is needed for fragile X syndrome (FXS) research and clinical care. The Autism Screening Instrument for Educational Planning-Third Edition (ASIEP-3) Interaction assessment is a brief standardized measure that quantifies social responses under different conditions. The feasibility and validity of the ASIEP-3 was evaluated in 26 males and 13 females with FXS, along with cognitive testing and behavior questionnaires. The videos were scored at 10-second intervals, and the observed behaviors were scored as an interaction, independent play, no response, or aggression. In total, 39/41 participants successfully completed the ASIEP-3 (age M = 14.4 ± 10.2), with a range of cognitive abilities (abbreviated IQ (ABIQ) M = 58.9 ± 17.3, median = 50), behaviors (Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) Total M = 37.00 ± 27.3), and autism diagnoses (N = 22/39). Reliable administration was demonstrated by all team members. The mean coded behaviors included interaction (40.6%), independent play (36.8%), no response (21.1%), and aggressive behavior (<10%). The interaction score was negatively correlated with the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) score (p = 0.037), and the profiles differed by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranged from 0.79 to 0.93 for master’s level and above. Administration of the ASIEP-3 was feasible for FXS across sex, age, ability, and behavior ratings by a trained research team. Reliable scoring required advanced training in the assessment of social development and FXS experience. The scores correlated to ratings and diagnoses of ASD. The ASIEP-3 shows promise to reliably index social interactions in FXS.

scholarly journals Augmented reality emotion recognition for autism spectrum disorder children

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 1217
Author(s):  
Han Foon Neo ◽  
Chuan Chin Teo ◽  
Quan Fong Yeo
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Children With Asd

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that affects brain development. The prevalence of ASD is one in 68 children. Low social motivation is the main cause in developing social communication skills deficiency. As a result, it is becoming difficult for them to express themselves, to be able to manage social interactions, and they lack the ability to comfort others and even share their own feelings. This study aimed to design a mobile application based on augmented reality (AR) focusing on social interactions and communication aspect for children with ASD. The scope is in emotion recognition, which makes use of emotional icons to help them improve their social skills, more specifically on helping them to recognize various emotions. The emotions are represented by emojis inspired by Dr. Paul Ekman who has created the basic six emotions, namely happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise, and angry. Additional emotions such as confound face, winking with tongue, cold sweat, blowing kiss, flushed, sleepy, disappointed, and winking are included. AR is able to gage the children’s attention when they view the animated emojis. The application enables the children with ASD to be more willing in recognizing different emotional expressions and improve their social skills by expressing their own feelings. The scope of the study is limited to emotion recognition. It is developed based on literature reviews without guidance of any certified ASD specialist. AR is an interactive technology that places digital information in our physical world in real time, providing precise registration in all three dimensions. Existing literature proved that the traditional face-to-face teaching methods have failed to increase the interest and ability of ASD children because the teacher has full control in the classroom. This study adds value to the existing works to incorporate AR as additional intervention in treating ASD children.

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