Title: ITU Workshop on Accessibility Bamako, Mali, 13
1ICTs for Children with Mental Challenges
ITU Workshop on Accessibility/Atelier UIT sur
laccessibilitéBamako, Mali 13 15 October 2009
- Professor Arun Mehta
- President, Bidirectional Access Promotion Society
2Stephen Hawking only uses a single button to
communicate
3Communication and the severely Disabled
- From Professor Hawkings website I am quite
often asked How do you feel about having ALS.
The answer is, not a lot. I try to lead as normal
a life as possible, and not think about my
condition, or regret the things it prevents me
from doing, which are not that many. - Not that many? Every communication disabled
person should be able to say the same. - The problem is not the hardware even a mobile
phone is powerful enough for such needs - To take full advantage of the limited abilities
of a person, you need proper software
4Brain Behavior Connections in Autism, Nancy
Minshew, Diane Williams
- brain abnormalities rarely result in a single
impairment but rather a constellation. E.g. - a first-trimester abnormality in the formation of
the brain - a second-trimester disturbance in neuronal
proliferation (increase or decrease in brain cell
numbers) or migration (movement of brain cells
from one place to another) - a third-trimester disturbance in neuronal
organization (development of the elaborate
connections of the human brain) - Also possibly, fetal exposure to a virus or a
toxin. - a unique profile of impaired and intact abilities
5information input is OK in autism
- the capacity to
- pay attention to incoming information
- perceive (sensory perception),
- and remember (basic memory abilities)
- is typically not impaired
- But fewer interconnections between different
parts of the brain
6Problems in higher brain functions
- what is the object in your hand? (need to feel,
see, recognize at once) - skilled motor movements (e.g. handwriting)
- memory for complex material
- higher-order language (idioms, metaphors,
inferences, paragraph comprehension) - flexibility (shift strategy when one does not
work) - concept formation (problem solving when there are
no set rules associated skills are insight and
judgment)
7Sensory symptoms
- Some children with autism are extremely sensitive
to bright lights, loud sounds, or even touch
(more prominent in children with autism than in
adults) - The ability to filter information is a higher
level function too in autism you very easily
have information overload
8Problems with complex grammar
- Although high-functioning individuals with autism
could readily comprehend sentences of the same
length or longer that had simple grammatical
construction, they had substantial difficulty
understanding sentences with complex grammatical
construction the information processing demands
are greater with clauses and phrases.
9The proof is in the eating
- Observe what individuals with autism understand
by how they actthe demonstration of their
understandingand not take their words at face
value - Many parents have complained, I know he knows
the rule. He says the rule while he is doing what
the rule says not to do.
10How communication is different
- People with autism dont always say what they
mean and are dependent on their communication
partners to carry the burden of interpreting
their meaning. - Individuals with autism are generally operating
on facts and rules. As a result, they need
information conveyed with the fewest words
possible. The bottom line needs to be stated,
that is, numerous examples should not be given in
hopes that they will figure out the concept or
bottom line.
11Employment for persons with autism
- Jobs such as analyzing satellite or other
surveillance, or screening luggage or other
import containers coming into the country might
be potential careers for individuals with autism
that would draw on the exceptional ability of
some to process information visually and to
perceive details
12How to communicate
- Using visual strategies, either pictures or
written words, to communicate instructions or
messages to individuals with autism serves to
reduce the amount of content and compress the
content to essential information. The format of
these instructions should be written like the
directions on a soup can brief and to the point.
13Helping learning and memory
- Give information in small, simple chunks
- Take more time
- Leave the material in sight for rehearsal at the
individuals own pace, when sensory overload is
lower - (computer-based instruction is terrific for this)
14they cannot act their age
- A child with autism may be placed in a classroom
with other fifth-graders because he can do fifth
grade-level academic work. However, his social
behavior may be more like that of a kindergarten
age child. - This should not be cause for alarm from the
teaching staff, but should be an expected and
planned for consequence of the developmental
disorder of autism.
15Lack of flexibility
- Persons with autism can have difficulty with new
situations and environments and demanding or
socially stressful situations due to inflexible
problem-solving skills. - Need for skill practice in multiple environments
- Society needs to be more flexible
16Bottom Line
- Recognition that challenging behaviors are the
result of a differently wired brain can lead
parents and teachers towards more innovative and
ultimately more effective long-term interventions
and supports
17Interface design for Autism in Skid
- REQUIREMENTS
- small chunks
- Take more time
- Allow repetition
- Uneven sensory sensitivity, to audio/text/images
- Cater to inflexibility
- SOLUTION
- Highly modular
- Easy ?
- Also easy
- Audio, text graphics, can be turned on/off
- Similar interface across modules
18(No Transcript)
19Addressing varying input abilities
- Input via touch screen, joystick (and its
equivalents), mouse, - For beginners, slow learners and the severely
motor disabled two button interface - In each module, choices offered one by one. Press
a button to say yes to the presented choice in
the module - Other button switches between modules
20Simple spring-within-a-spring switch
21(No Transcript)
22About BAPSI
- The Bidirectional Access Promotion Society seeks
to promote
23Securing the demand and supply
- BAPSI sends volunteers to special schools to
identify children whom Skid could help, and works
with them and their care givers - We offer summer training to students wishing to
add modules to Skid, and use online tools to
collaborate (e.g. dimdim.com)
24Recommendations
- Put resources into researching and understanding
mental challenges, including role of ICT - Collect information (first learn how)
- Comply with the UN Convention on Rights of
Persons with Disabilities - Establish an Institution with multidisciplinary
skills to find solutions to individual problems
25Functions of the Institution
- Research collect data, identify problems and
find solutions - Technology including semi-custom hardware and
software - Support for caregivers and disabled
- Policymaking ensure inclusion of persons with
mental challenges - Common platform- create a space for public
interaction, welcoming of persons with mental
challenges