Social Conversation Training Simulation for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目是长期努力的一部分，以减少与自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）相关的负担和残疾。有ASD诊断的成年人和青少年中有40%没有精神发育迟滞。在许多情况下，语言能力似乎完好无损，而社交语用技能明显受损。这些人无法获得与其智力水平相符的职业成功，并且可能无法在家庭之外建立友谊和关系。该项目的具体目标是开发一种训练模拟，以提高这些人的社会互动表现。基本会话技能的获得有望使ASD患者能够参与更频繁和适当的互动，对他们的职业和个人生活产生积极影响。申请人提出使用其最初开发的技术来创建用于专门社交互动的训练模拟（例如，以检测士兵的自杀风险）。这些模拟是基于模拟角色的复杂模型，这些模型反映了对话的历史、用户最近的陈述和偶然因素。该模拟将包括一个由专业演员表演的数百个视频剪辑的数据库，以及一组可供用户说话或通过鼠标点击选择的陈述和问题。该系统将提供帮助功能，包括对模拟角色反应的直接解释，以及回答选择的指导。屏幕上的教练将提供关于用户响应的适当性的夸大信号。将提供回放选项，以便用户可以查看部分或全部对话。游戏功能，包括成功的分数和为提高分数欢呼，将有助于保持兴趣和加强学习。内容将由申请人熟练的编剧与天主教大学自闭症研究人员的投入开发，也将受益于三名临床医生对学习目标的审查，以及与五名最终用户群体成员讨论社交技能问题的访谈。原型模拟开发完成后，将由目标人群的15名成员进行现场测试。代表受试者使用模拟及其功能的数据将被自动记录。训练前和训练后的分数比较，当模拟可供他们在家里玩的游戏数量，以及感知效用的评级，他们使用完整模拟的可能性（如果可用的话），以及感知现实主义将是依赖性措施。如果原型模拟的可用性和吸引力标准得到满足，将提交第二阶段资助的提案，以开发更大的、全面的模拟和测试，将新技能推广到受试者的真实世界互动。患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的成年人和青少年与他人互动的能力明显受损。职业和专业的成功受到负面影响，他们往往过着孤立的生活，尽管努力与他人联系。本申请提出创建由帮助和辅导特征支持的交互式角色扮演模拟对话，以供希望提高其社交互动技能的ASD患者使用，以便增加他们与同伴进行奖励互动的机会。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project is part of a long-term effort to reduce the burdens and disability associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Forty per cent of adults and adolescents who have an ASD diagnosis do not have mental retardation. In many cases language abilities appear intact, while social pragmatic skills are markedly impaired. These individuals fail to achieve vocational success consonant with their intellectual level, and may be unable to establish friendships and relationships outside of their family. The specific aim of the project is to develop a training simulation to improve these individuals' social interaction performance. Gains in basic conversational skills are expected to enable individuals with ASD to be included in more frequent and appropriate interactions, with positive impact on their vocational and personal lives. The applicant proposes to use technology it originally developed to create training simulations for specialized social interactions (e.g., for an interviewer to detect suicide risk in a soldier). These simulations are based on complex models of the simulated characters' shifting emotional states in response to the history of the conversation, the user's most recent statement, and an element of chance. The simulation will include a database of hundreds of video clips performed by a professional actor, and a large set of statements and questions available for the user to speak or select by mouse click. The system will offer help features, including straightforward explanations of the simulated character's reactions, and guidance with response choices. An on-screen coach will provide exaggerated signals about the appropriateness of the user's response. Playback options will be available so that the user can review part or all of a conversation. Game features, including points for success and cheering for improved scores, will help sustain interest and reinforce learning. Content will be developed by the applicant's skilled scriptwriters with input from an autism researcher from Catholic University, and will also benefit from review of learning objectives by three clinicians, and interviews to discuss social skills issues with five members of the end-user population. Once the prototype simulation has been developed, it will be field-tested by 15 members of the target population. Data representing subjects' use of the simulation and its features will be automatically logged. Comparison of scores from pre- to post-training, number of games played when the simulation is available to them at home, and ratings of perceived utility, their likelihood to use a full simulation if it were available, and perceived realism will be the dependent measures. If criteria for usability and appeal of the prototype simulation are met, a proposal will be submitted for Phase II funding in order to develop a much larger, full simulation and test for generalization of new skills to subjects' real-world interactions. Adults and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are markedly impaired in their ability to interact with other people. Vocational and professional success are negatively impacted, and they tend to lead isolated lives despite efforts to connect with others. The current application proposes to create an interactive, role-play simulation of conversation, supported by help and coaching features, for use by people with ASD who wish to improve their social interaction skills, in order to increase their opportunities for rewarding interactions with peers.