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

根据美国疾病控制与预防中心的数据，在美国，每59名儿童中就有1名被确诊为自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）。这种疾病发生在所有种族、民族和社会经济群体中，在美国每年造成的损失估计为1370亿美元。ASD导致年轻人的失业率高达80%，而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，可以在未来技术工作的正确支持下加以利用。越来越多的证据表明，在自闭症谱系障碍和其他神经多样性群体中存在技术人才。该项目旨在通过为神经多样性群体提供适当的培训和纠正技术行业招聘实践中的固有假设，帮助国家挖掘这些人才。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便捷沟通。此外，这项工作将评估和扩展一个项目，为自闭症谱系的年轻高功能成年人和其他神经多样化的年轻人提供技术就业准备。该项目的长期目标是在全国范围内增加神经多样性个体参与技术劳动力的比例。这个项目汇集了几个学科，包括认知和行为科学、计算机视觉、电子工程、经济学、伦理学和教育学。调查小组的结构是为了实现多个目标。首先，它将在虚拟现实和增强现实环境中开发具有多模态用户活动感知的智能系统，该系统可以理解高功能ASD患者的语音和面部线索；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，研究小组将审查从开发增强培训工具和创新招聘实践中出现的潜在道德问题。这些用于远程和自动培训员工的增强现实系统将在两人和三人的工作场所社交接触中提供语言和非语言行为的反馈。该项目还寻求开发辅助书面工作场所交流的其他工具。最后，本研究独特地利用了调查人员与技术行业合作伙伴的联系，为工作培训计划提供反馈，并创新招聘实践，以便该计划和其他模仿它的项目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。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.