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Information Technology for Communication and Cognitive Support
Published in Julie A. Jacko, The Human–Computer Interaction Handbook, 2012
Alan F. Newell, Alex Carmichael, Peter Gregor, Norman Alm, Annalu Waller, Vicki L. Hanson, Graham Pullin, Jesse Hoey
Another distinct form of global cognitive impairment is autism, including a set of rarer but related syndromes (Kaluger and Kolson 1987). The precise causes of autism are not clearly understood. Briefly stated, it is a general neurological disorder that impacts the normal development of the brain particularly in relation to social interaction and communication skills. Its effects will usually become apparent within the first 3 years of life. People with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication and social interactions. The disorder makes it hard for them to communicate with others and relate to the outside world, they also tend to have relatively low IQ scores. Closely related to autism is Asperger syndrome. People with Asperger’s experience similar social communication difficulties, but generally demonstrate a normal IQ. Further to this, there are several generally similar conditions, some of which have varying physical and behavioral elements associated with them. These come under the collective heading of pervasive developmental disorders and all tend to produce difficulties with communication. An important element of these social communication difficulties in the context of the present chapter is an inability to grasp the implications of metaphorical or idiomatic language. Similar effects occur in dementia but in autism tend to be more profound. There is some evidence that people with autism or Asperger syndrome are more able to communicate with computers than with people, or with people via computers, rather than face-to-face, and thus properly designed computer systems may have potential for assisting such user groups.
THE DESIGN OF POLYSENSORY ENVIRONMENTS FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDERS
Published in Paul T. McCabe, Contemporary Ergonomics 2004, 2018
Darryl Georgiou, Jacqueline Jackson, Andrée Woodcock, Alex Woolner
Whilst debate and research continues into the cause of autism with biological, neurochemical, neurological and genetic explanations being advocated, no clear-cut answers are on the horizon and there is no cure. All children with an autistic spectrum disorder have the 'triad of impairments' (Wing and Gould, 1979) in the areas of social interaction, communication and imagination. However, what makes ASDs so problematic is that levels of severity and manifestations of the condition are different in each child. This leads to different classifications, for example, where children are considered to be 'higher functioning' they may be diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (AS) or High Functioning Autism (HFA).
A closed-loop electrical stimulation system triggered by EOG for acupuncture therapy
Published in Systems Science & Control Engineering, 2020
Ding Yuan, Yurong Li, Tian Wang, Jianguo Chen, Dongyi Chen, Dong Lin, Yuan Yang
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication and a restricted repertoire of activities and interests (Moghaddam, Mohammadi, Daramadi, & Afrooz, 2016). The onset of symptoms occurs around the age of three, and it usually requires extensive support for the lifetime. The prevalence of ASD is around 1/166, making it a major burden to society (Buescher, Cidav, Knapp, & Mandell, 2014). ASD is usually considered as one of the neurodevelopmental disorders. The cause of autism is unclear and may vary from subject to subject (Ebrahimi-Fakhari & Sahin, 2015). Most cases are due to unknown genetic etiologies. Some may be related to prenatal or perinatal environment (Ferri, Abel, & Brodkin, 2018). Many interventions have been developed to improve the ability of self-care, cognition, social interaction and adaptation in ASD (Sowden, Perkins, & Clegg, 2011). Among them, acupuncture is a therapy based on traditional Chinese medicine. It can decrease the ASD symptoms by regulating the functions of the autonomic nervous system and neuroendocrine system (Wong, Chu, & Cheuk, 2014). Its effectiveness and safety have been previously demonstrated in both animal and human studies (Adams et al., 2011; Hall & Riccio, 2012; Levy & Hyman, 2015). Previous research showed that acupuncture Changqiang acupoint can eliminate mental retardation disorders, and increase learning ability and working memory in children with autism (Hong, Zhang, Hong, Huang, & Qiang, 2014). However, traditional acupuncture uses needles that cause minor injury to the skin and may result in infection (Inanc, 2015). It has been demonstrated that transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) treatment is an effective approach to replace the needle with electrical stimulation (Zhang et al., 2012). This treatment is typically given by an acupuncture therapist who needs to monitor the mental state of autistic children to determine whether the children are activated, since a high neural excitability is necessary for this treatment. Thus, the effectiveness of acupuncture highly relies on the skill and experience of the therapist.