Institute of Technology Tralee May 2015 Research Colloquium

1. “An Exploration of the Effectiveness of the use of Communication Apps through
Mobile Devices on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).”
Ms. Miriam O’ Sullivan,
Institute of Technology Tralee.

2. Glossary of terms:
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD):
• Complex neurological disorder (Bluestone, 2005).
• Effects social, communication and behaviour skills.
• Heterogeneous condition.
• Picture Exchange Communication System (P.E.C.S.) (Frost and Bondy, 2012).
• Mobile devices:
• Smartphones, Tablets, iPad, iPod, iPhone.
• Communication Apps:
• Seven categories
• Examples include: Proloquo2go, Grace, LetMeTalk, Voice4u, etc.

3. Research Questions
• Do the children show preference to using the mobile device as
opposed to the folder?
• Do the instances of communication increase among children when
using a mobile device and Communication App?
• Is the child independent in managing the vocabulary library?
• What effects has the use of the Communication App and mobile
device had on a child’s life in relation to home, school and the
community?
• Is the usability of the device suitable for children with ASD?

4. Rationale for the Research
• Inspired by a child with ASD.
• Potential benefits for children with ASD as outlined in the research.
• Limited availability of research.

5. Relevant Theoretical and Methodological
Issues
• Current research:
• Availability.
• Sources.
• Design methodology.
• Development of Communication Apps that are currently available:
• Software developers.
• Parents of children with ASD.
• Onei will be developed by a Social Care Professional in partnership
with a school for children with Special Needs.

6. Technical and Procedural Aspects of Data
Collection and Analysis
• Participant Profile
• Interviews
• Staff (Classroom teachers and Speech and Language Therapists)
• Parents
• Observations
• Informal
• Formal- Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (Autism Research Institute)
• Focus Group
• Questionnaires
• Staff
• Parents

7. Initial Findings
• Triangulation of theory: from theory to practice
• Current use of mobile devices:
• Availability of mobile devices in Ireland.
• Effects of using Apps and mobile devices on children with ASD.
• User requirements:
• Sensory processing.
• Motor skills.
• App features.
• Development of frameworks for building with children with ASD as opposed
to for children with ASD.
• UPA User Experience Snake Diagram.

8. Designing for the user-
User-Centered Design

9. Next Steps
• Usability Testing:
• Focus group.
• Introduce the participants to the prototype App.
• Engaging in the iterative process of participatory design:
• Creating several versions of the App in order to meet the needs of the participants.
• Fundraising in order to provide each child with a mobile device for the
research.
• Implement the App and mobile device with each child in September 2015.
• Observations every two weeks using ATEC.
• Re-evaluate implementation mid-October to assess if the App needs to be adapted
to meet the needs of the participants.

10. Project Management Gantt Chart
Time Period Action/s Methods Comments
Jan/Feb 2015 Field Research Observations of how children
currently use standard PECs in a
school setting.
Interviews with staff and parents
The aim is to establish what elements
of PECS are best suited to or could
be substantively improved upon
though the use of an App.
The appropriate SNA will be
identified by teaching staff
March/April/May 2015 Prototype Design for App Conduct a focus group with staff and
parents on the “look and feel” of the
App
June 2015 Initial usability testing of Prototype
App
Field Research in school setting The school setting test is simply a set
of initial field trials concentrating on
the general ‘look and feel’ of the
App.
September- Early October 2015
(Phase 1)
Action Research Phase
Mid-October- November 2015
(Phase 2)
Implementation and Modification of
Prototype App
Evaluation of implementation of the
app.
Changes to be made as a result of
feedback
Structured observations (utilising
ATEC) of the children using App
Questionnaire with Parents and
Speech & Language Therapist &
School Principal
Feedback from staff and children-
structured observations and informal
interviews
These observations will take place in
the presence of school staff i.e.
classroom teacher/SNA
Jan/Feb 2016 Final analysis of data Questionnaires to be completed by
staff and parents
These questionnaires will act as the
final piece to evidencing the effects
and impact of the app on the
children.

11. Commercial Application of the Research
• Analysis of the cost of Apps currently available.
• Usability analysis of the features currently available in
Communication Apps.
• Potential for application in Ireland.

12. Analysis of the cost of Apps currently available
App Name Apple Store Play Store
Tap to Talk Free Free
Proloquo2Go €219.99 unavailable
One Voice Lite Free unavailable
urVoice Free unavailable
NikiTalk Free Free
CommunicAide Free unavailable
PECS Phase 3 €7.99 unavailable
AvazPro AAC €149.99 €121.21
Let Me Talk Free Free
Grace €29.99 €9.99
AvazPro AAC (Lite) Free Free
Autism AAC Speech 3D Symbols unavailable Free
AAC Speech Communicator unavailable Free
AAC Talking Tabs Donate Key unavailable €3.60 (no obvious difference in free
version)
Aac Talking Tabs unavailable Free

13. Usability analysis of the features currently
available in Communication Apps.
• 90% Apps use P.E.C.S.
• 40% use text-to-speech.
• 10% allow for customisation of P.E.C.S. phase.
• 100% of fonts are easy to read; however, 90% do not take account of user
friendliness i.e. “a” as opposed to “a”.
• 20% facilitate font size to be changed.
• 40% allow for symbol size to be changed.
• 80% navigation tools are easy to see and use.
• 40% allow for voice control to be turned on/off.
• 50% have a camera feature.
• 40% are supported by different operating systems.
• 10% display the sentence strip full screen.
• 40% require further payment to access full features.

14. Potential for application in Ireland
• Evidence Based.
• Developed with children with ASD.
• Localisation of vocabulary and features.

15. References
• Bluestone, J., 2005, The Fabric of Autism- weaving the threads into a cogent theory, Sapphire Enterprises,
LLC, 1300 Dexter Avenue North, #110 The Casey Family Building Seattle, WA 98109.
• Frost L. and Bondy A., 2002, The Picture Exchange Communication System Training Manual, Second Edition,
Pyramid Education Consultants, United States.
• Autism Research Insititute, 2015, Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), available from:
http://www.autism.com/ind_atec, accessed on 10/10/2014.
• Treder M., 2012, Beyond Wireframing: The Real-Life UX Design Process, available from:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/08/29/beyond-wireframing-real-life-ux-design-process/, accessed
on 15/11/2014.