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Squeeze the Ball: Designing an Interactive Playground towards Aiding Social Activities of Children with Low-Function Autism

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Published:23 April 2020Publication History

ABSTRACT

Most intervention methods used for social skills training in children with autism are dedicated to high-functioning autism (HFA). However, extensive neurological and developmental disorders of low-functioning autism (LFA) have hampered their adoption. In this study, we observed and interviewed children with LFA, and their teachers, from a local educational institution, to better understand the children's social needs and barriers. Then, with the aim of aiding the children with their social activities, we illustrate the design process of SqueeBall, an interactive playground equipment. We evaluated the design with 18 children (16 with LFA and 2 with HFA) between 2.5 and 7 years of age. Results showed that these children had a pleasant game experience when the group bonded, and the equipment had a positive effect on aiding them in various ways. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of multimedia interaction techniques in aiding children with LFA.

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        cover image ACM Conferences
        CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
        April 2020
        10688 pages
        ISBN:9781450367080
        DOI:10.1145/3313831

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