Using Technology to support the Education of Children with Autism Spectrum Conditions

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Autism has traditionally been defined in terms of a 'triad of impairments' (Wing 1988),these impairments, or deviances from typical developmental trajectories, are said toaffect three main areas: flexibility of thought and behaviour, understanding of socialbehaviours, and communication. In real terms, this means that people who have autismspectrum conditions (ASCs) often require adapted educational environments, due totheir preference for fixed routines, and their requirement for additional support inlearning social cues, behaviours, and effective communication strategies. Due to theincreased political pressure for fully inclusive education systems since the mid-90s andincreasing number of ASC diagnoses, children with ASC are increasingly educatedwithin mainstream educational settings. Given the flexibility and ever-increasingcapabilities of modern technology, it seems likely that it may be a useful tool to alleviatesome of conflicts arising between the needs of children with ASC and the demandsplaced on them within mainstream educational settings. However, while many papersexploring the efficacy of particular technology-based interventions exist, there has beenlittle work to how it is currently used to facilitate education in real-world settings. Thisproject therefore aims to study the use of technology that facilitates inclusion bysupporting everyday transitions, it will both look at actual practise and its potentialusage both in a mainstream and a home-education context.