Mobile application based early educational intervention for children with autism - a pilot trial

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Assistive Technology
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Intervention

Background:

• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often require tailored early educational interventions.
• Traditional methods may not fully address the unique learning needs and patterns of children with ASD.
• Mobile applications offer a potential avenue for accessible and engaging educational tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop a mobile application for enhancing pre-school readiness in children with autism.
• To identify individual learning patterns of children with autism through app-based interaction.
• To provide an early educational intervention program utilizing functional academics.

Main Methods:

• Development of a mobile application based on functional academics.
• Conducting three software trials with 31 children with autism (ages 3-10).
• Supervision by educators and parents over 8-10 weeks, with learning patterns recorded.

Main Results:

• 90% of participants preferred the app's drag-and-drop/touch interface over traditional methods.
• Over 84% developed pre-writing skills (scribbling, tracing) using the app.
• 25% showed improved social reciprocity, such as greeting peers and teachers.

Conclusions:

• The mobile application significantly contributes to early intervention for children with autism.
• Performance metrics enable identification of learning patterns and individualized education plan (IEP) revision.
• The user-friendly app facilitates education and management of challenging behaviors in children with autism.