AudioBuddy: Using Sound Sensors to Support Sound Sensitivity Awareness in Autistic Individuals

Abstract

More than half of autistic children experience auditory sensitivity and emotion dysregulation. Emotion dysregulation co-occurring with painful or unpleasant experiences due to auditory stimuli can lead to heightened stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. Researchers have aimed to support emotion regulation and auditory sensitivity separate from each other. This work builds on those single-purpose efforts to simultaneously address both emotion regulation and auditory sensitivity, with emphasis on self-advocacy for needs related to autism and support for autistic people to take control of their auditory environments themselves. Based on empirical data from two autistic self-advocacy online support forums and existing research, we designed and developed AudioBuddy. AudioBuddy is an assistive multi-device application that notifies users of increased sound levels in their environment while providing coping methods to support emotion regulation and encouraging self-advocacy to change challenging situations.