A Viable Option?

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.

The Development of Virtual Reality Technologies for People on the Autism Spectrum

The role of virtual reality technologies to help people with autism has been well documented and is an area of research that continues to develop. While the evidence base is somewhat limited, there are many studies that have started to explore the potential of virtual reality technologies for people with autism. Work conducted by Strickland et al. (1996), Murray (1997), Charitos et al. (2000), Parsons and Mitchell (2002), Parsons et al. (2006, 2007), Cobb (2007), Fabri and Moore (2005), and Fabri et al. (2004) have all added to this positive picture of virtual reality technologies to support people on the autism spectrum, specifically in terms of social interaction and social skills development. This chapter uncovers the evidence base and work of others in relation to virtual reality technologies used by people with autism. This chapter concludes with a view as to what future work might pursue in this field.

Robots and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Technology featuring robots is a promising innovative technological intervention for treating and educating children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This chapter reviews, critiques, and presents future directions for research on clinical and educational applications of robots for these children. Specifically, this chapter reviews current research on: (1) robots that act as social mediators for children with ASD and (2) robots that assist them in developing social skills such as joint attention and imitation. A critical review of the research suggests that robots may have the capacity to assist some of these children, but additional rigorous studies are necessary to demonstrate their efficacy and effectiveness. Future research must (1) examine whether robots have differential effects for specific subgroups of children with ASD and (2) contribute to a deeper understanding of robots’ potential use in educational settings.

Improving Socialization and Emotion Recognition for Children with Autism Using a Smartphone App

Smartphone apps are used with increased frequency to teach children a variety of skills and to supplement more traditional forms of instruction. In particular, children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) could benefit from applications suited to help them build social emotional skills that could contribute to more successful social interactions. In the study, the authors first investigated and compiled a list of existing apps to see where gaps exist in topic coverage. From this survey of existing smartphone apps for children with ASD, they developed a new app called LEA (Learning Emotions with Autism) that challenges children to interact in a social setting by responding to emotional cues, and having other children determine the emotion that is expressed. This app provides a new context to help children focus their attention on facial cues in order to recognize and interpret emotions through supported peer interaction. In this chapter, the authors discuss how this app was designed and implemented. They also provide a tutorial on how to develop smartphone apps that can be used for ASD research.

Incorporating Mobile Technology into Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Autism

This chapter discusses how mobile technology can contribute to the quality of life of children with autism across their school years and through the transition to adulthood. Mobile technology has the potential to support students not just at school, but also across all environments in and throughout their lives. There are a number of educational practices and strategies that have been identified as having a strong evidence base to effectively support students with autism. The theoretical framework underpinning this chapter is the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which prescribes that these practices be integrated into instruction from the outset to ensure equal access and participation of all students in the classroom. Case studies of students on the autism spectrum with diverse needs and during different stages of their lives (from the school years to the transition to adulthood) are used to demonstrate the benefits of incorporating mobile technology into evidence-based educational practices for people with autism.

The Promise and Limitations of Assistive Technology Use among Children with Autism

The use of assistive technology to enhance skill development among children with autism continues to expand. To date, this technology has been primarily used to remediate deficits in language, social skills, and, to a lesser extent, academic skills. Despite the growing body of literature examining the use of these technologies among children with autism, the success of these interventions has been mixed. The authors review findings concerning available forms of assistive technology and the factors that impact their efficacy among children with autism such as developmental level and severity of impairments.

Video Modeling for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) will struggle to different degrees with social communication skills. To facilitate the learning of new social skills and to allow for repetition and practice, video modeling is being utilized in the PreK-12 setting. This chapter describes behaviors inherent to individuals with autism spectrum disorders that could benefit from the use of video modeling as an intervention, or part of an intervention, as well as a step-by-step description on how to effectively implement video modeling. Additionally, examples of data collection forms, permission forms, and other helpful resources are provided.

Video Games as a Form of Therapeutic Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The use of video games as a therapeutic intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) has steadily increased over the past years. Children with ASD tend to show a great interest in and affinity for playing video games for leisure. This chapter explores how researchers have sought to determine if this inherent motivation could be utilized to assist children with autism spectrum disorders in increasing beneficial skills needed for daily life. Video games have, therefore, been used to assist these children in improving social competence for communicative purposes, improve executive functioning skills, and increase a variety of personal performance skills. Although the variety of research studies in this subject area is expanding, there continues to be a lack of empirical research in this area, and small sample numbers of participants in the majority of the existing research. A lack of longitudinal studies, moreover, is problematic as the studies cannot demonstrate if a learned and mastered skill on a video game can carryover and transfer from the video gaming setting to everyday activities.

Using Handheld Applications to Improve the Transitions of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

While the knowledge that has been gained from previous studies has accelerated the understanding of the difficulties facing individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), there is concern regarding the speed with which and the overall lack of translation of research into interventions that make differences in the everyday lives of individuals with ASDs (Gresham, et al., 2001; Volkmar, et al., 2004; Volkmar, Reichow, & Doehring, 2011). For example, the symptoms of ASDs can greatly impair an individual’s ability to navigate independently through everyday events. Translating this knowledge into instructional practice requires, then, the design of methods for easing students’ transitions within the school, home, and community. While research has validated the use of low-tech visual supports (e.g., National Autism Center, 2009), little has been done to analyze the utility and appropriateness of high-tech assistive technology, such as those interventions administered through smartphones, tablets, and other handheld devices, which are devices that are being used more frequently in education settings (Gray et al., 2010). This chapter presents the results of federally funded research to determine whether the use of iPrompts—a software application for iOS and Android-based smartphones and tablet computers—assists teachers and other educational professionals as they help students with ASD transition from one activity to the next or from one setting to another.

A Task Assistant for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This chapter introduces the use of software technology that is used to create a Web application system called iPAWS to help individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) accomplish simple tasks. These individuals can repeatedly access tasks for assistance or learning through a mobile tablet. For post-school employment, the use of this software technology can help lessen the burden of supervision needed for individuals with autism. For school age children at different levels, iPAWS can serve as training or as a learning tool. This chapter starts with a review of computer-based interventions that have been used in the past. Next, the overall design of the Web application system is introduced. Sample cases that are suitable for children and post-secondary employment are then discussed. Two case studies that were conducted with individuals on the autism spectrum, follow. Finally, possible future improvements to iPAWS are presented.