Technology & Autism

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Hello,

My name is Audrey, I am a final year at university undertaking a final year project. I did some research and saw that wrongplanet.net is a good platform where a lot of individuals with autism and without communicate. I want to take this chance to post a survey, and ask very kindly if some individuals can take put some time aside and complete it in detail in order to help me understand more how our technology might or might not fully cater to individuals with autism, Asperger's syndrome etc. I would be nice to see how many I can collate in order to conclude my hypothesis/theories and hopefully by the end of my academic year, create an app that incorporates features from traditional social apps, games apps, etc all in one. Of course, all your usernames/names will not be included in my research it will all be anonymous.

Thank you!

Audrey x

Survey 1:
1. How old are you?
o Under 18 years old
o Between 18 - 25 years old
o Over 25 years old

2. On the Autism Spectrum, where would you say you are?
o Mild Autism
o Moderate Autism
o Severe Autism
o High Functioning Autism
o Asperger's Syndrome
o PDD-NOS
o Learning Disability
o Mild Development Delay

3. What difficulties have you encountered?



4. Which of these devices do you own?
o Smartphone
o Tablet
o Laptop
o Computer
o Other (please specify)
_____________________________

5. What forms of technology (apps/software) have you used and how affective were they?



6. Do you think that those technologies have had a positive impact on you/ has it helped you in any way? If so, how?



7. Are you on social media? If yes, which one and why?




8. Are there any apps/technologies that you have wanted to use but found difficult to use? Why?




9. If you could ask for an App to be created for an individual with Autism, what are the main criteria you would look for the app to do?




10. What do you think the relationship between our current technology and Autism, how do you think it can be improved?

I can answer some of these questions
Survey 1:
1.How old are you? Between 18 - 25 years old

2. On the Autism Spectrum, where would you say you are?
Mild Autism
Moderate Autism
High Functioning Autism

3.What difficulties have you encountered?
No resource/supports in school. Misunderstanding of my social skills.
Complex dyspraxia, severe problems speaking clearly around age 10.
As an adult (past ages 21-22) help for higher living skills.


4. Which of these devices do you own? Smartphone, Tablet, Laptop

1. How old are you?
o Over 25 years old

2. On the Autism Spectrum, where would you say you are?
o Mild Autism
o Moderate Autism
o High Functioning Autism


3. What difficulties have you encountered?
Since I look so normal and have a job and I drive, I get the feeling from others that I won't ever qualify for help like service dogs, or one on one assistance (like a caretaker). And every time I "act like a baby" or want "baby/kid" things, I get ignored, yelled at or whatever.


4. Which of these devices do you own?
o Smartphone
o Laptop
o Computer
o Other (please specify)
_Nintendo DS and 3DS_


7. Are you on social media? If yes, which one and why?
FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram -- to follow friends/celebrities and to also post or play online games
Forums for WrongPlanet, Days of Our Lives and IMBD -- to talk and discuss with other people about same interests.
Instant Messangers like Yahoo or Skype to talk in real time with others sharing the same interest.

10. What do you think the relationship between our current technology and Autism, how do you think it can be improved?[/quote]
I think we take to technology easier, because it's more easier to maintain control over. It's also more stable and reliant than an actual human. There is no pressure to read between the lines of technology.

1. How old are you?
o Between 18 - 25 years old


2. On the Autism Spectrum, where would you say you are?
o Asperger Syndrome
o Learning Disability
o Mild Development Delay


3. What difficulties have you encountered?

Being able to effectively communicate with people and hold conversations, understanding body language and subtle social nuances, experiencing large amounts of bullying throughout elementary school and junior high, and being exposed to lots of sensory stimuli that causes physical pain.


4. Which of these devices do you own?
o Smartphone
o Tablet
o Laptop
o Computer


5. What forms of technology (apps/software) have you used and how effective were they?

Apps for what? Asperger's? All the apps I have? This question isn't very clear.


6. Do you think that those technologies have had a positive impact on you/ has it helped you in any way? If so, how?

Again, I don't know what technologies you're referring to.


7. Are you on social media? If yes, which one and why?

I got a Twitter because I wanted to contact someone who was on there, and I stayed on Twitter because people found my tweets hilarious and kept telling me to post more of them. I just got a Facebook because there are so many things you can't do without one nowadays.


8. Are there any apps/technologies that you have wanted to use but found difficult to use? Why?

I don't think so.


9. If you could ask for an App to be created for an individual with Autism, what are the main criteria you would look for the app to do?

To help people understand the meanings of various types of body language and give suggestions based on the body language one wants to look up the meaning for.


10. What do you think the relationship between our current technology and Autism, and how do you think it can be improved?

I haven't really looked for much regarding technology and Autism, but I've wanted an app that serves the purposes I mentioned above.

Survey 1:
1. How old are you?
o Over 25 years old

2. On the Autism Spectrum, where would you say you are?

o Asperger's Syndrome
o Learning Disability
o Mild Development Delay

3. What difficulties have you encountered?

Executive functioning deficit which makes it difficult to do menial jobs that others find easy. It takes me longer to complete tasks and more difficult to learn new tasks quickly. Interpreting language too literally, trouble identifying sarcasm, mlid trouble reading body language, inability to cope with groups, social awkwardness among other socially related problems. I also have sensory problems mainly hyper sensitivities in areas of tactile, temperature, sound and light. I also have spacial problem, and can't create maps in my head, I get lost without a GPS.



4. Which of these devices do you own?
o Smartphone
o Tablet
o Laptop
o Computer

_____________________________

5. What forms of technology (apps/software) have you used and how affective were they?

A smartphone and Google maps solves my spatial problems as long as I am not in a building, then I will still get lost.

6. Do you think that those technologies have had a positive impact on you/ has it helped you in any way? If so, how?

Yes. I would be scared to go anywhere that I was not familiar with before because I would have no idea how to get home. Google maps freed me from that.

7. Are you on social media? If yes, which one and why?

No I avoid all social media except forums and Tumblr. I hate Facebook, Instagram, Google + etc and refuse to use them. I cannot cope with all the social expectations of these platforms.

Cool! i'm looking forward to what you come up with keep us posted.

Survey 1:
1. How old are you?
o Over 25 years old

2. On the Autism Spectrum, where would you say you are?
o Moderate Autism

3. What difficulties have you encountered?
Difficulty reading facial expressions, difficulty knowing what to say at work without offending people, executive function issues at work (meeting deadlines, staying under budget, following procedures, not forgetting to do a task when juggling several projects), sensory integration issues (trouble understanding people in meetings if more than one person talks, painful or nauseating sensory input when commuting or running errands--painful sounds, disorienting flashing lights, nauseating smells).

4. Which of these devices do you own?
o Smartphone (iPhone 6)
o Laptop (Mac)
o Other: Amazon Kindle
_____________________________

5. What forms of technology (apps/software) have you used and how affective were they?
Microsoft Outlook for contacts, calendar reminders, email (very effective). Google Maps for directions (very effective).

6. Do you think that those technologies have had a positive impact on you/ has it helped you in any way? If so, how?
Helps me stay connected to work, remember meetings.

7. Are you on social media? If yes, which one and why?
Facebook (to follow friends and family), Twitter (to follow one or two celebrities and track issues with public transportation, which are frequent), Pinterest (for fan-related info on TV and movies)

8. Are there any apps/technologies that you have wanted to use but found difficult to use? Why?
Microsoft Project--I was trying to use it to manage project milestones for several simultaneous projects, but found it really difficult to learn. Also I would like to be able to program my DVD player, a source of embarrassment.

9. If you could ask for an App to be created for an individual with Autism, what are the main criteria you would look for the app to do?
I'd love anything that can help with the executive function problems mentioned above. It's a constant source of stress and the main reason why I get into trouble at work (deadlines, budgets, procedures). Something to manage project budgets, deadlines, technical requirements, reminders about new policies would be great, especially if it were under $50 (MS Project is really expensive!). Also for the home: apps to help manage budgets, bill paying, shopping (most of the freebies really suck, not sure which pay ones are good).

10. What do you think the relationship between our current technology and Autism, how do you think it can be improved?
I think that technology is a huge help for me, because I find it easier to deal with technology than the vagaries of people. I have difficulty understanding spoken speech, so reading things is easier. It is important to remember to have good help documentation in your software--I've seen some software out there with instructions that are difficult to understand or poorly edited. Make your instructions clear and to the point, and not too long winded. Some of us have ADHD (like me) and it's easy to lose track of the idea. Avoid metaphor or cutesy humor--it's annoying, confusing, and wastes time. Also please have some way for users to contact the developers, through a message board or email.

1. How old are you?
o Between 18 - 25 years old

2. On the Autism Spectrum, where would you say you are?
o Mild Autism
o Moderate Autism

3. What difficulties have you encountered?
I'm very sensitive to touch which means I have to be very particular about the clothes that I wear. I also have a hard time politely asking people not to touch me, I default to "please don't touch me" and they think that this is rude but being touched is really hard. I also have a hard time with high pitched sounds like whistling.
I have narrowed interests so it's hard for me to make friends since nobody cares about the things that I care about.
Executive function is also an issue, I move slowly and have difficulty doing simple things. This is also hard for other people to understand because they know that I can do very complicated things so they think I'm just being lazy and they get annoyed.

4. Which of these devices do you own?
o Smartphone
o Tablet
o Laptop
o Computer
_____________________________

5. What forms of technology (apps/software) have you used and how affective were they?
Calendar reminders, medication reminders, gps, music
I don't know if this counts but there's an app called Zen Koi that's very calming.


6. Do you think that those technologies have had a positive impact on you/ has it helped you in any way? If so, how?
I used to forget my medications and appointments and now I don't. I use music to block out sounds that I don't like and to play sounds that I do like so that's kind of a double whammy.


7. Are you on social media? If yes, which one and why?
No

9. If you could ask for an App to be created for an individual with Autism, what are the main criteria you would look for the app to do?
There's some apps that can help with executive function but they're all for children. I wish people would stop forgetting that there are autistic adults.

Thank you all for answering my survey, I will keep you posted if my project is taken further and an app ends up being created I hope that will be the case! If you know others that would like to fill out this survey please could you point them to this post, I would be so grateful!! !

Please keep us posted on your progress! I would love any sort of app, and there are very few designed for autistic adults, if any. People forget that even folks who can function well enough to have a job can get really overwhelmed.

I still need some more responses, I am not sure if this can be forwarded by you all, I have decided to put it all on a surveymonkey so it may be more appealing for others to respond. I would be extremely grateful if more would kindly give me some feedback on this topic!

Survey 1: for individuals with autism https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/8KQWGGY

Likewise, if you have worked with autistic individuals could you please fill out this survey below:

Survey 2: for personnel/carers/parents etc https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/8VSPJYB

Thank you so much!

Hello everyone, so I created some app visuals from my primary research results, could you please take some time to just let me know which app visual you prefer, this survey will only take 5 mins. This will help me to create the application in order to hopefully roll it out as my undergraduate project! Thank you so much!
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MSHQBBX
I would really appreciate it!