Institute of Technology Tralee Research Colloquium May 2016 Gold Medal Winner for best Poster Presentation

1. Figure 3: Designing the User Experience UPA Framework
An Exploration of the Effectiveness of the use of communication Apps through
mobile devices on children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Introduction
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurological disorder which effects people in
relation to their communication, social and behavioural skills (Bluestone, 2005). As a result
of experiencing impaired communication some people with ASD utilise Augmentative and
Alternative Communication (AAC) methods; one such method is the Picture Exchange
Communication System (P.E.C.S.) (Overcash et al., 2010). P.E.C.S involves the use of
symbols/photographs to communicate a message with the vocabulary stored in a folder. In
line with rapid technology developments, the development of communication Apps based
on P.E.C.S. has occurred. The use of these communication Apps with mobile devices with
children with ASD is a relatively new area of research; particularly in Ireland.
Literature Review
The literature review highlighted two primary gaps:
1. the route of development (O’ Cionnaith, 2010) and
2. the lack of empirical evidence pre and post App implementation (De Leo et al., 2010).
The research available is limited and originates from either America, Canada or
Australia.
The development routes of these types of Apps required evaluation. Traditionally the
development took two routes; 1) by software developers or 2) bespoke requests by parents
of children with ASD. Thus, these gaps required representation within the research and as a
result a multi-disciplinary approach was adapted to this research.
This research adapted an action research
design methodology with User Centred
Design (UCD) while utilising a mixed method
approach. The choice of methodology was
taken as a result of two reasons; 1) to
develop a communication App with children
with ASD as opposed to for them (McEwen,
2014), and 2) to explore the effects that the
App had on participants (Chien et al., 2015;
McNaughton and Light, 2013). The
effectiveness of the intervention was
assessed based on five categories:
communication, independence, social
inclusion, attention span and behaviours that
challenge. Figure 3 is an illustration of the
UCD process taken throughout this research.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Obs 1 Obs 2 Obs 3 Obs 4 Obs 5
Results from The Autism Treatment Evaluation
Checklist (ATEC)
Participant 1 Participant 2 Participant 3 Participant 4 Participant 5
Participant 6 Participant 7 Participant 8 Participant 9 Participant 10
Theme Result
Engaging with App camera feature It was discovered that one participant could spell
independently; his parents and staff were
unaware of this.
Increased verbal abilities “he's talking mad since he came back [from mid-
term break” (stakeholder comment).
Increased self-esteem “he loves knowing this is his App; he controls it
and charges it himself” (stakeholder comment).
Participant access to the App and mobile device Restricted, at times, by stakeholders; thus,
limiting participant potential for an effective
intervention.
Discussions & Recommendations
The presentation of results indicated that this was an effective intervention for all
participants in at least one of the five areas: communication, independence, social
inclusion, attention span and behaviours that challenge. Five recommendations were
made for research:
Recommendation Comment
Future Multi-disciplinary approaches 1. Upskilling of social care professionals prior to
entering the health and social care
informatics area and
2. Utilisation of current tools for rapid App
development.
Training The need for formal and accessible training for
stakeholders in relation to P.E.C.S. and mobile
devices.
Evidenced based approaches to assessing
mobile devices and Apps
Recommendation of mobile devices and Apps
should not be based on ad-hoc information. It is
important to meet the needs of the person
rather than attempting to make them ‘fit’ a
particular device or App.
Department of Education Hands on support is required from the DOE to
assist stakeholders to utilise these types of
technologies.
Policy recommendations Adaptation of current Assistive Technology
policies in Ireland to facilitate social change
within this area.
Conclusion
This research set out to explore the effects of a communication App on children with
ASD while adapting a multi-disciplinary approach to development. The results
indicated that this was an effective intervention for all participants in at least one of
the five areas explored. However, it became evident throughout the research that
participants were dependent upon stakeholders to experience success.
References
Bluestone, J., 2005, The Fabric of Autism- weaving the threads into a cogent theory, Sapphire Enterprises, LLC, 1300 Dexter Avenue North, #110 The Casey Family
Building Seattle, WA 98109.
Overcash A., Horton C. and Bondy A., 2010, The Picture Exchange Communication System- Helping Individuals Gain Functional Communication, Autism Advocate,
3rd Edition, pg.21-24.
De Leo G., Gonzales C.H., Battagiri P. and Leroy G., 2010, A Smart-Phone Application and a Companion Website for the Improvement of the Communication Skills
of Children with Autism: Clinical Rationale, Technical Development and Preliminary Results, Journal of Medical Systems, Volume 35 No.4, pg. 703-711.
Chien M.E., Jheng C.M., Lin N.M., Tang H., Taele P., Tseng W.S. and Chen M.Y., 2015, iCan: A tablet-based pedagogical system for improving communication skills
of children with autism, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, Volume 73, pg. 79-90.
McEwen R., 2014, Mediating sociality: the use of iPod Touch devices in the classrooms of students with autism in Canada, Information, Communication and
Society, Volume 17, Issue 10, pg. 37-41.
McNaughton D. and Light J., 2013, The iPad and Mobile Technology Revolution: Benefits and Challenges for Individuals who require Augmentative and Alternative
Communication, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Volume 29, Issue 2, pg. 107-116.
O’ Cionnaith F., 2010, Grace iPhone app makes a difference, available from: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kfkfeygbcwkf,rss2, accessed on 25/11/2015.
Results
The quantitative results presented are those from the Autism Treatment Evaluation
Checklist (ATEC). This scale is used to measure the effectiveness of interventions and is
scored out of 180; the greater the decrease in the score the greater the improvement the
child has experienced. The observations with participants 5 and 6 were suspended at the
beginning of observation three due to circumstances beyond the control of the researcher.
The figure 3 illustrates the improvements made by each participant.
Figure 4: Individual results from the ATEC
Table 1: Examples of Qualitative Results
Table 2: Recommendations from the research
Acknowledgements
Ms. Anne O’ Brien, Department of Computer Science, Institute of Technology Tralee
Mr. Keith O Faolain, IMaR
Irish Association of Social Care Educators (IASCE)
Children, their parents and staff of Nano Nagle School Listowel
Contact
Ms. Miriam O’ Sullivan (@mirz01)
Post-Graduate Researcher,
Institute of Technology Tralee,
miriam.osullivan@research.ittralee.ie
085-7020111.
The qualitative aspect of this research was evaluated on an individual basis with
each participant making unique developments and improvements. Some of the
results gathered in this section are presented in the table below.
Figure 1: Example of a Picture Exchange
Communication System (P.E.C.S.) book
NANO NAGLE SCHOOL
LISTOWEL
Ms. Miriam O’ Sullivan1, Mr. Peter Given2 & Dr. Tom Farrelly1
1. Department of Social Science, Institute of Technology Tralee
2. Department of Computer Science, Institute of Technology Tralee
Methodology
Figure 2: Onei Communication App