TOUCHING THE FUTURE TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTISM?

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TOUCHING THE FUTURE TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTISM?

There is growing international interest in the use of assistive and ambient technology to support people with a range of impairments, whether developmental, acquired or age- related, in being able to function independently in the modern world. A particular focus has been on the potential for mobile technology to act as a technical adjunct to compensate for a range of cognitive limitations. Since 2008, the “smartphone revolution” has increasingly made mobile technology a part of every day life, and the rapid proliferation of mobile apps, often designed to act as cognitive support tools for the general population, has increased the impetus to explore effectively how mobile apps could make a difference with specific groups with a real and pressing need for additional support. Smartphones are the most common piece of technology that young people make use of, and may typically have with them at all times, and are increasingly are being used within schools as educational aids [1]. One particular group where mobile technology has the potential to promote greater independence and autonomy are young people with impairments in adaptive and flexible behavioral and cognitive control, and impairments in social communication and emotional control. This includes commonly, amongst others, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity (AD(H)D). It is typically in the social and educational dimensions, most markedly during adolescence, that young people3 with cognitive and emotional impairments will tend to experience exclusion most acutely.

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Author(s)

Joseph Mintz, PhD, Miklos Gyori, PhD and Morten Aagaard - Personal Name

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