This research intentions to be sure the effectiveness of a different sort of mobile messaging software named MAAN, which means together inside the Arabic, to have grownups having ASD, using pre-blog post studies data. The aim of MAAN is to offer an accessible, secure, and easy-to-explore chatting app to possess adults having ASD thus help its addition within the neighborhood. Within this data, i hypothesized the following: (1) This new entry to options that come with cellular apps (text-to-speech [TTS], speech-to-text [STT], and you may communication icons [CS]), being placed on MAAN, can enhance the fresh new societal and you will communications event away from people having ASD; and (2) The aid of the new software decrease social loneliness when you look at the people having ASD.
Analysis Design
A blended actions strategy are accompanied inside investigation. 7 grownups with ASD were requested to utilize MAAN using their caregivers getting sixteen weeks. Ahead of the construction and you can development of MAAN, semistructured interview was presented with benefits to discuss the fresh initial proposed software structure. Brand new app structure was then modified with regards to the acquired viewpoints. Upcoming, people which have ASD in addition to their mothers or caregivers had been requested so you’re able to have fun with MAAN having a period of sixteen weeks. It course was then followed on the studies by Laugeson ainsi que al , and therefore ideal that in case finding public and telecommunications experiences treatments, update is only clear during the sixteen weeks. The analysis come because of the contacting people prepared to take part. On account of COVID-19, the first conferences into users were used on line. The users received an email to have describing the research recommendations, such as for instance date and time, and you may a great weblink to possess event advised concur getting a virtual appointment towards the users, people they know, in addition to their parents. Immediately after searching the fresh participants’ concur, these people were expected so you’re able to complete an online prestudy survey in check to collect demographical recommendations. The mother and father otherwise caregivers of the people were plus expected so you’re able to done an initial sort of brand new Public and Psychological Loneliness Size to possess Adults (SELSA-S) survey . The goal of which survey was to determine new social and members of the family loneliness of users. For the an online appointment, the primary researcher informed me the newest application possess in more detail and replied further questions relating to the analysis. The participants was indeed as Miura in Japan wife well as provided with a great hotline so you’re able to report any matter they could deal with in this data. To be sure the continuity of data range, the players had been questioned to make sure that new application is actually usually running from the record.
After the analysis, the participants having ASD in addition to their caregivers or mothers done new Cellular Software Get Size: member variation (uMARS) questionnaire. New uMARS is a straightforward and you will credible tool which are utilized by stop-users to assess the quality of cellular wellness programs. It offers a beneficial 20-product measure that includes 4 objective top quality subscales (wedding, features, esthetics, and pointers quality) and step one personal top quality subscale. The intention of which questionnaire should be to measure the app’s top quality regarding usability. The latest participants’ mothers or caregivers along with completed the newest SELSA-S questionnaire once again to choose the participants’ public and family unit members loneliness costs after the data. Finally, a beneficial semistructured interviews having parents otherwise caregivers is presented to get facts about the newest framework regarding application use. Brand new interview provided questions regarding the overall software experience in conditions off features, features, and you will pressures came across while using the software, plus methods for further improvement.
MAAN Software Design and you can Invention
The fresh application contains the following step three chief possess: TTS, STT, and you will CS. Among the well-identified keeps that can even be considered as a kind of assistive technology is the newest TTS ability, that enables pages to hear authored text message to your a pc, pill, or track someone troubled inside training and you can decoding terminology . Similarly, STT are a keen assistive technical element used by people who struggle with creating. This form of assistive technology lets address are converted into text utilizing the calculating equipment. One another has actually are very are not used to assistance addition education setup . The fresh software also incorporated the fresh CS ability, which is an important part away from AAC-served innovation, and its own no. 1 purpose should be to help people who have ASD in creating sentences. We are really not alert to one chatting app you to supporting new utilization of the CS feature. TAWASOL signs have been used for the fresh CS feature. They certainly were created in 2013 from the Mada Heart, an enthusiastic assistive technology center during the Qatar. These signs represent the current Basic Arabic words and are designed to-be culturally, socially, religiously, and linguistically acceptable. TAWASOL is dependent on this new AAC Symbols Collection and that is brought so you can nonverbal or minimally verbal people who want solution interaction solutions .
