Multisensory Tangible Technologies for inclusive collaborative play between Children with Autism spectrum disorder and their neurotypical peers

Project: Applied Research

Project Details

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition where a number of symptoms are apparent. These symptoms include difficulties in social communication and interaction; language usage and comprehension problems; repetitive and limited behavioral patterns; challenges in perceptual processing; and hindered social imagination. Educators and psychologists have long emphasized that these symptoms have influenced the academic under-achievements and lack of engagement which is common in children with ASD as compared to typically developing children (TD). ASD is an increasingly prevalent disorder; in 2018, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) determined that approximately 1 in 59 children in the United States are diagnosed with ASD (Baio et al., 2018). Qatar is no different from the rest of the world. A recent study conducted by the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute revealed that ASD is present in 1.14% or one in every 87 children in Qatar (Al Shaba et al., 2019). Due to the growing prevalence of ASD in Qatar, the state launched the Qatar National Autism Plan 2017-2021. The national plan lists 44 goals to be implemented by 2021. These goals include raising public awareness, supporting early diagnosis, improving the quality of behavioral and educational interventions, and guaranteeing continuous care and support in their education and social participation. In this work, we aim to support the education and social participation of children with ASD through encouraging inclusive outdoor and indoor collaborative social play. Social interaction is key for successful inclusion of children with disabilities in society and has a significant impact on their development and wellbeing. Social interaction starts very early in children’s lives. Research into early child development has stressed its inherently social nature and the importance of mutual play and joint action between children as a basis for healthy development. Yet, children with autism often find it challenging to engage in such activities. Cognitive, behavioral, and educational science has developed frameworks and approaches to support children when participating in playful educational and social interactions. Modern-day technologies, in turn, can have a crucial role in supporting such social and collaborative play, and can encourage children to engage a range of senses including sound, touch and smell. Using these technologies to develop sensory integration in play can have a positive effect on a child’s overall engagement with their surroundings and their peers. The idea of the project originated from our team’s close collaboration with Shafallah center and Mada center in a number of existing ventures. The teams at both centers stressed that the use of technology to aid the existing educational and behavioral interventions relies heavily on visual interactions and less on other senses, and because of this, technology is rarely being used. Given the nature of autism, we believe that there is great potential to examine different multisensory technologies in support of collaborative social play in education. This project will start by further investigating the context for this, and establishing the requirements, with children, their teachers, specialists, and caregivers, in centers in Qatar and the UK. The project will employ a co-design approach, where the primary users and stakeholders are involved in the design, prototyping, and evaluation processes. Our aim is to co-design and prototype a tangible multi-sensing interface using state-of-the-art technologies, including sensors, distributed digital objects, and geocaching. This interface will employ a number of approaches to engage children with ASD in social outdoor and indoor play with their peers. The development of the prototype and final product (interface) will enlist the assistance of the project co-funders, Mada Center, Shafallah Centre, and Superwire in Qatar, and supporter, National Autisic Society in the UK. The final product will be evaluated with ASD and neurotypical children in the educational environment in Shafallah Center, and in other centers in both Qatar and the UK, to explore how different cultural contexts influence social play and the design of technologies to support it. Other collaborators in this project will include the Qatar Autism Society, Sensory Support Services in the UK. The final product (interface) will then be deployed in the Shafallah Center and other centers in the UK. It will prompt play, education, and exploration with children with and without ASD. This project contributes to investigating the employment of user-centric design as a means to design inclusive technologies. Our research outcomes will be published in both academic and practitioner communities. The developed final product (interface) will be in technology readiness level (TRL) 7, in which the developed interface will be up and running in classroom and playgrounds at Shaffalah center.

Submitting Institute Name

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)
Sponsor's Award NumberNPRP13S-0108-200027
Proposal IDEX-QNRF-NPRPS-45
StatusActive
Effective start/end date14/06/2114/12/24

Collaborative partners

Primary Theme

  • Progressive Education

Primary Subtheme

  • PE - Personalized Learning

Secondary Theme

  • Precision Health

Secondary Subtheme

  • PH - Diagnosis Treatment

Keywords

  • Tangible Interface,Autism,Multisensory,co-design,interaction
  • None

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