FW-HTF-RL: Neurodiversity in Tech: Using Interactive Decision Theory and Augmented Reality to Enable Employment for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

根据疾病控制和预防中心的数据，美国每59名儿童中就有1名被确定患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）。 这种疾病发生在所有种族，民族和社会经济群体中，估计美国每年的成本为1370亿美元。ASD导致年轻人的失业率高达80%，这些年轻人拥有对经济做出重大贡献的认知技能。该研究项目旨在利用神经多样性人群的独特优势。 这些以前在劳动力中被边缘化的人群拥有独特的才能，可以在正确的支持下为技术工作的未来发挥作用。越来越多的证据表明，技术人才存在于ASD和其他神经多样性社区。 该项目旨在通过为神经多样性群体提供适当的培训，并纠正技术行业招聘实践中的假设，帮助国家挖掘这一人才。如果成功，该项目将开发和测试一系列独特的基于新技术的工具，以支持神经多样性员工的轻松沟通。 此外，这项工作将评估和扩大一项计划，为自闭症谱系的年轻高功能成年人和其他神经多样性的年轻人提供技术就业。该项目的长期目标是增加神经多样性个体在全国技术劳动力中的比例。 该项目汇集了多个学科，包括认知和行为科学，计算机视觉，电气工程，经济学，伦理学和教育。 调查员团队的结构是为了实现多个趋同目标。首先，它将开发具有虚拟现实和增强现实环境中的多模态用户活动感知的智能系统，该系统可以理解患有ASD的高功能个体的语音和面部线索;它还将研究目前阻碍成功技术就业的潜在教育障碍，以及现有实习模式和培训工具的潜在经济影响。此外，研究小组还将审查在开发强化培训工具和创新招聘做法过程中出现的潜在道德问题。这些增强现实系统用于培训工人的远程和自动化指导，将在两人和三人的工作场所社交活动中提供有关语言和非语言行为的反馈。 该项目还寻求开发其他工具，以协助书面工作场所沟通。 最后，这项研究独特地利用了调查人员与技术行业合作伙伴的联系，以提供对工作培训计划的反馈，并创新招聘实践，使该计划和其他模仿它的计划能够成功地将受训人员转移到当地和全国越来越多的技术职位上。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的学术价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 59 children in the United States has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This disorder occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, with an estimated cost of $137 billion per year in the US. ASD results in an unemployment rate as high as 80% in young adults who have the cognitive skill to contribute substantially to the economy. This research project seeks to capitalize on the unique strengths of neurodiverse populations. These populations, which have previously been marginalized in the workforce, have unique talents that can be leveraged with the right support for the future of technical work. There is growing evidence that technical talent exists in ASD and other neurodiverse communities. This project aims to help the nation tap this talent by providing appropriate training for neurodiverse groups and correcting assumptions embedded in the technical industry hiring practices. If successful, this project will develop and test a unique array of new technology-based tools to support facile communication of neurodiverse employees. In addition, this work will evaluate and expand a program that prepares young highly-functioning adults on the autism spectrum and other neurodiverse young adults for technical employment. The long-term goal of the project is to increase the proportion of neurodiverse individuals participating in the technical workforce nationally. This project brings together several disciplines, including cognitive and behavioral sciences, computer vision, electrical engineering, economics, ethics, and education. The investigator team is structured to achieve multiple convergent goals. First it will develop the intelligent system with multi-modal user activity perception in virtual reality and augmented reality settings that understands speech and facial clues in highly-functioning individuals with ASD; it will also examine potential educational barriers that currently inhibit successful technical employment, as well as the potential economic impact of available internship models and training tools. In addition, the research team will examine potential ethical issues emerging from the development of augmented training tools and innovative hiring practices. These augmented reality systems for remote and automated coaching of workers-in-training will provide feedback on verbal and non-verbal behavior in two- and three-person workplace social encounters. This project also seeks to develop additional tools to assist with written workplace communication. Finally, this research uniquely leverages the investigators' connections with technical industry partners to provide feedback on the work training program, and to innovate hiring practices so that this program and others modeled after it can successfully move trainees into the increasing number of technical positions available both locally and nationally.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.