ASDesign: A User-Centered Method for the Design of Assistive Technology That Helps Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Be More Independent in Their Daily Routines

Raquel Cañete and M. Estela Peralta
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Raquel Cañete: Escuela Politécnica Superior, Departamento de Ingeniería del Diseño, Universidad de Sevilla, 41011 Sevilla, Spain
M. Estela Peralta: Escuela Politécnica Superior, Departamento de Ingeniería del Diseño, Universidad de Sevilla, 41011 Sevilla, Spain

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-27

Abstract: COVID-19 has posed new physical and mental challenges for the population worldwide, establishing social and structural changes in the labor market that could be maintained and implemented permanently. This new reality will require new strategies to improve family and work conciliation, which is especially challenging for families with children suffering from psychological pathologies such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These changes have led to more frequent and intense behavioral problems, causing stress, anxiety, and confusion for these children and their families. Thus, the need to have tools that help parents reconcile work with the care of these children, who have low autonomy, is reinforced. This work develops a method for the design of assistive technology and smart products to support children with ASD in following a routine and managing tasks autonomously. In this way, the article analyzes the design problem including the needs and preferences of children with ASD and their parents during confinement in terms of dependence and adaptability; develops a design method for interactive and smart products focused on children with ASD in confinement situations; and validates this method in a case study, in which a robot is developed that makes it easier for children with ASD to follow a routine.

Keywords: assistive technology; smart products; autism spectrum disorder; self-managed tasks; confinement periods; inclusive design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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