FYI:
Call for Papers: Theme Issue on Technologies for Autism
Editors: Gillian Hayes, University of California, Irvine and Karrie Karahalios, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Publication: Personal and Ubiquitous Computing
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), also known as Pervasive Development Disorder, includes impairments in social interaction, communication—both verbal and non-verbal—and stereotypical or repeated behavior, interests and activities. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control using data from the United States in 2006 indicated a rise in prevalence of ASD to 1 in 110 children: 1 in 70 boys and 1 in 310 girls. Individuals across the Spectrum can potentially benefit from the use of novel computing technologies, including assistive and augmentative technologies, social computational systems, sensing and context-aware systems, capture and access applications, wearable systems, and more.
This special issue calls for original research and methodology papers on the integration of personal and ubiquitous computing technologies in support of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The purpose of this special issue is to bring together a set of research papers that will (1) advance our understanding of Technologies for autism, (2) discuss the role of technology in Supporting individuals with ASD, their friends and families, and (3) provide examples of effective technologies for autism. Through this special issue, we hope to bring together a diverse set of researchers working in autism, pediatrics, computer science, cognitive science, education, sociology, psychology, anthropology, information science, and more.
Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
Empirical studies exploring issues related to autism that might be amenable to technological intervention;
Empirical studies of technologies in use to support individuals with ASD;
Methodologies for conducting research on technologies for autism;
New designs and technologies that support individuals with ASD, their friends, relatives, co-workers, and acquaintances;
Evaluation techniques for technologies for autism;
Case studies on the deployment and long-term use of technologies for autism.
Important Dates:
Papers to be submitted: August 16, 2010
Peer reviews completed: November 16, 2010
Revisions completed and submitted: January 1, 2011
Publication date: March/April 2011
To submit your paper, please email as PDF format to gillianrh@ics.uci.edu and kkarahal@cs.uiuc.edu
RELATED:
Here are a few of my posts related to technology, intervention, and autism spectrum disorders in some way. I hope that the links and references I've posted will be helpful to researchers in this important field of study and practice:
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Call for Papers: Theme Issue on Technologies for Autism
Saturday, February 16, 2008
TECHNOLOGY FOR DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, AND PROGRESS MONITORING-Revised Post
The amount of data collected for monitoring interventions can be overwhelming. Innovative solutions that harness technology can help. Here are a few examples:
From the IDEA Partnership website:
RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
“The Royal Oak RTI Management System is a secure district Intranet system that promotes interactive problem solving and decision making among Student Study Team members for the purpose of improving student achievement. The system allows all members of a school’s team to enter and continually monitor the information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of prescriptive interventions, strategies and programs as well as gauge individual students’ progress. This team includes the district director of special education, school psychologists, literacy coaches, teacher consultants, other specialists, principals, teachers, students and their parents."
"Particular emphasis is placed on the leadership of building principals and general educators in the successful implementation of the system. In development for a year, the RTI Management System is being piloted in 2007-08 in two elementary schools, with universal screening (AIMSweb) for all second graders (as well as individual screening for other students who are referred to school psychologists). Universal screening is followed by continuous probes of student progress. Entries on students begin with data-driven questions based on screening results. Team members enter the specific area they will work on (e.g., fractions, phonemic awareness, any skill or behavior); the exact steps; who will do what; duration and frequency; and who is responsible for probes of student progress. In addition, the school psychologists have created a graph that charts individual students’ growth so that their progress can be monitored and the effectiveness of interventions can be evaluated. The charts incorporated in the RTI Management System can provide ongoing graphic comparisons between the student’s trend line progress and target line (goal) expectations for use in team meetings."
"The secure online form has a slot for email addresses requested by the team at various levels, so that a team member can add information and make comments and suggestions. When anything new is added to a student’s page, the entire team gets an email flag, and they can interact about a student’s interventions and progress (much like a blog or threaded conversation). Parents’ passwords are coded for information and discussions on their child only. At the school and district level, there’s a summary page that lists all students, a brief description of the problem, and progress of all students in the school who are involved in RTI.”
For more information on the RTI Management System:
Melinda Stout, Director of Special Education or Ed Meade, School Psychologist, School District of the City of Royal Oak
Wireless Generation
I have not yet evaluated the software developed by Wireless Generation. From what I can see, it is the software used in the Royal Oak schools, mentioned above. My hope that it is flexible and user friendly!
Here is some information from the company's website:
"A leader in educational assessment, reporting, and professional development, Wireless Generation offers solutions that give teachers, coaches, and administrators real-time data about student progress and the capacity to use it to improve reading and math achievement, and reduce special education referrals."
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Wireless Generations' mClass: RTI Software (information page)
From the Science Daily website:
Autism Caught on Tape: Computer Scientists Use Technology to Help Children with Autism
"Computer scientists have devised two tools to help people interact with autistic children. Videotaping interactions allows teachers or parents to replay situations and evaluate the cause of particularly good or bad behavior. Cataloging actual data, rather relying on memory or interpretation, proves to be a more accurate measure of a situation."
CareLog and Abaris are data collection/logging tools used in intervention and progress monitoring of students who have autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The tools were developed by Dr. Gregory Abowd, a Human Computer Interaction professor at Georgia Tech, and his research teams. Dr. Abowd is the father of two sons who have ASD.
Detailed information about CareLog and related technologies can be found in Documenting and Understanding Everyday Activities through the Selective Archiving of Everyday Activities, a Ph.D. dissertation written by Gillian Hayes, at Georgia Tech.(2007)
Software such as CareLog and Abaris is much-needed, given the significant increas in the number of young people who have autism spectrum disorders.
