Demo: Wearable application to manage problem behavior in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

• Main Authors: ZAKARIA, Camellia, DAVIS, Richard C.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2016
• Subjects: problem behavior; autism spectrum disorder; children; wearable; Software Engineering; Special Education and Teaching
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sis_research/3520; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sis_research/article/4521/viewcontent/p127_zakaria.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Managing problem behaviors in children with neurodevelopmental disorders can be challenging. Such behaviors may discourage social participation and learning. Many of these behaviors warrant intervention, however, are challenging for caregivers to constantly supervise. Previous work focused on developing recognition systems for stereotypical and aggressive behaviors. Researchers also developed visualization interface for caregivers to better understand their child’s needs. Our goal however, is to design an independent behavior management application to help children manage problem behaviors with minimal supervision.We conducted a field study at a school for children with special needs in Singapore, and interviewed ten teachers. This study helped us identify behaviors that require management, intervention strategies adopted, and other challenges faced by children and caregivers at home. Our insights informed the vision of WatchMe, a wearable application that sends automatic intervention notification. Children needed frequent interventions using visual cue cards and verbal reminders. These instructions are delivered through visual-haptic or audio notifications. We developed a prototype of WatchMe, and recruited four children with neurodevelopmental disorders and problem behavior to evaluate the effectiveness of automated instructions. Our results show that a caregiver’s voice can be particularly effective.