Interactive Spatial Audio reproduction for Health and Well-Being of Special-Needs Children

通常，患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的儿童在触觉，视觉和听觉处理方面经历并发症，超过96%的ASD儿童在多个领域经历超敏反应，虽然感觉处理功能障碍并不特别限于自闭症谱系的个体，但与其他发育障碍相比，它在这一人群中似乎更普遍。对于ASD患者来说，声音敏感性是一个特别尖锐和常见的问题，Greenspan和Wieder在2000年进行的研究发现，所有200名参与者都显示出听觉处理障碍的证据。这些接受性异常可以引起非典型的自我调节行为，这些行为可以被观察为攻击性或自主恐惧反应，例如捂住耳朵，哭泣和殴打耳朵的自我伤害。不幸的是，据报道，这些深刻的厌恶是由常见的环境声音引起的。通过避免这种感官刺激，儿童的社交互动和活动限制可能会阻碍语言，认知和社会发展。尽管与ASD患者相关的非典型听觉处理，传统的基于音乐的治疗占所有自闭症干预措施的约12%，并且已经成功地帮助沟通，社交情感和运动发育。然而，新的听觉干预方法集中在解决对声音的超敏反应，并对特定的听觉刺激采用系统的脱敏方法，虽然成功，但既耗时又需要资源。拟议的研究旨在通过利用新的空间音频渲染技术来建立这些干预措施，以生成完全沉浸式和交互式的虚拟音频环境，为患有自闭症和声音过敏症的儿童提供适应性暴露疗法。通过虚拟复制完整的空间音频环境，护理人员将有机会针对儿童的个人需求和发展能力调整局部参数，从而创建最佳互动区域。目前的虚拟环境暴露干预措施，如蓝屋[2]，严重依赖视觉效果来提供沉浸式环境，而不是旨在提供完整的360度音频。Argo [3]进行的一项研究通过空间音频引发焦虑症患者的情绪，发现感官敏感度更高的人更容易接受听觉刺激。此外，声音事件的真实再现将消除视觉刺激过载的可能性，从而为ASD儿童创造安全有效的干预环境。此外，该项目旨在将真实的世界声音整合到一个互动音乐框架中。因此，包括传统音乐治疗的好处，包括认知，社会和运动发展，与系统脱敏的听觉刺激，通常会损害自闭症儿童的参与日常活动。参考文献[1] S. I.格林斯潘和S. Wieder，“婴儿和儿童在关系和沟通障碍中的发展模式和结果：对200例自闭症谱系诊断儿童的图表回顾”，《发展和学习障碍杂志》，第1卷，第110页。87-142，1997年。[2]M.放大图片作者：J. McConachie和J.R. Parr，“Reducing specific phobia/fear in young people with autism spectrum disorders（asds）through a virtual reality environment intervention，”PloS one，vol. 9，no. 7，p. e100374，2014. [3]J. Argo，“沉浸式音景在暴露疗法中引发焦虑：身体脱敏和精神宣泄”，博士论文，格拉斯哥大学，2017年。

Typically, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience complications in tactile, visual and auditory processing, with over 96 of children with ASD experiencing hypersensitivities in multiple domains, and whilst sensory processing dysfunction is not specifically limited to individuals on the autistic spectrum it does appear to more prevalent within this population when compared to other developmental disabilities. Sound sensitivity is a specifically poignant and common issue for those with ASD, research conducted by Greenspan and Wieder [1] in 2000 found that all 200 participants displayed evidence of auditory processing impairments. These receptive abnormalities can provoke atypical self-regulatory behaviours which may be observed as aggressive or autonomic fear responses such as covering ears, crying and self-injury from blows to the ears. Unfortunately, these profound aversions are reported to be provoked by common environmental sounds. By avoiding such sensory stimuli children can have limited social interactions and activity restrictions which may impede on language, cognitive and social development.Despite the atypical auditory processing associated with those with ASD, traditional music based therapies make up approximately 12 % of all autism interventions, and have been successful in aiding communication, social-emotional and motor development. However, new approaches to auditory interventions have focused on addressing hypersensitivity to sound and have employed systematic desensitisation methods to specific auditory stimuli, which although successful, can be both time consuming and is demanding in terms of resources.The proposed research looks to build upon these interventions by utilising new spatial audio rendering technologies to generate fully immersive and interactive virtual audio environment, providing an adaptive exposure therapy for children with autism and sound hypersensitivities. By virtually replicating the full spatial audio environment, caregivers will have opportunity to adjust local parameters specifically for the child's individual needs and developmental abilities, creating the optimal interactive zone. Current virtual environment exposure interventions such as the Blue Room [2] heavily rely on visuals to deliver an immersive environment and do not aim to deliver full 360 audio. Research conducted by Argo [3] for eliciting emotions for those with anxiety through spatial audio, has found that people with greater sensory sensitivities are more receptive to auditory stimulus. Furthermore, a realistic reproduction of sound events will negate the possibility of a visual stimulus overload, thus creating a safe and efficient intervention environment for children with ASD. Additionally, this project aims to integrate real world sounds into an interactive musical framework. Therefore, encompassing traditional music therapy benefits including cognitive, social and motor development, with the systematic desensitisation to auditory stimuli that would usually impair an autistic child's participation in everyday activities. References[1] S. I. Greenspan and S. Wieder, "Developmental patterns and outcomes in infants and children with disorders in relating and communicating: A chart review of 200 cases of children with autistic spectrum diagnoses," Journal of Developmental and Learning disorders, vol. 1, pp. 87-142, 1997.[2] M. Maskey, J. Lowry, J. Rodgers, H. McConachie, and J. R. Parr, "Reducing specific phobia/fear in young people with autism spectrum disorders (asds) through a virtual reality environment intervention," PloS one, vol. 9, no. 7, p. e100374, 2014.[3] J. Argo, "Immersive soundscapes to elicit anxiety in exposure therapy: physical desensitization and mental catharsis," Ph.D. dissertation, University of Glasgow, 2017.