The design and development of a mobile communication tool for autistic individuals - AutiSay

Abstract

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often have social communication difficulties and/or display restrictive and repetitive behaviours. This paper focuses on the social communication difficulties and the design of a mobile application to be used as a communication tool between the autistic child and his/her caregivers. The advances in mobile ubiquitous technologies provide an opportunity to develop a tool to improve the social communication of the autistic child. Relevant design requirements were identified and incorporated into an application that is highly customisable. The application has undergone a usability inspection to collect feedback for further refinement.