Autism Teaching Suite

Department: Computer Science

Group Members: Kirill Marants, Jameson Mortimer, Jeff Cochran, Simon Sidhom, Jamison Andaluz

Client: Lynn Marentette, School Psychologist

Advisor: Prof. David Klappholz, Prof. George Kamberov

Project Description: The purpose of this project is to develop a software suite that will assist in the growth and education of teenagers and young adults with autism. The main feature of the suite is a "conversation wheel" teacher’s aide, which displays text and multimedia content inserted into the system by the teacher. The suite will also allow for extensibility through the introduction of stand-alone mini-games, which are to be dynamically loaded at runtime. The project will include the development of a framework by which current and future developers can make modules recognizable by the suite. The suite will be accessible by students on school computers, allowing them to play mini-games, and upload work. A mobile version of the suite will also be accessible through a web browser. Teachers will be able to view student progress and files, as well as prepare lessons using the conversation wheel. In the classroom, the suite will use SMARTBoard® technology and touchscreens for input, to increase the ease-of-use of the software. Most importantly, the suite will be developed with autistic students in mind, drawing upon previous autistism centered games, teaching devices, and articles - and for a client who works with autistic teenagers and who meets with the team once a week to keep the software's design on track.