Autism Speaks-Funded University Course Encourages Careers in Autism
Aspiring technology designers are taught to design novel solutions for challenges faced by individuals with autism
Aspiring technology designers are taught to design novel solutions for challenges faced by individuals with autism
For the families of individuals struggling with autism, the payback of research often seems far away. Improving the lives of individuals currently affected by autism is a priority for Autism Speaks. Support of technology research is one way to harness rapid innovation in favor of patient support. For example, technology design for
other disease communities has brought us movement detectors for patients with Alzheimer's, sensors that can improve physical 'vision' for the blind, joysticks to access computers for patients with cerebral palsy, and eye movement readers for people who are paralyzed.
With that in mind, the aim of Autism Speaks' Innovative Technology for Autism (ITA) initiative is to stimulate creative design and provide more immediate solutions to the challenges faced by individuals living with autism today. By encouraging collaboration among technology design teams and autism clinical researchers, ITA's primary mission is to encourage applied research that adapts the use of available technologies or spurs the development of new ones for the benefit of the autism community. The goal is to facilitate the development of technologies that can tangibly assist individuals with autism, their families and their caregivers.
As part of this mission, for the past six years Autism Speaks' ITA initiative has sponsored a university course to introduce young designers to the complexities of autism. Unlike typical lecture-only classes, students enrolled in the ITA courses form interdisciplinary research teams that make regular field visits to homes, schools, and work places of individuals with autism. Their assignment: to identify challenges, strengths, and community needs, all with the intent to dream up ways for novel technology to make an immediate and positive impact.
Upon identifying a unique opportunity for technology to intervene, each group proposes a design for a product and then spends the rest of the semester creating prototypes and "beta-testing" them in the field. Student projects have ranged from organizational and reminding devices such as adaptable PDAs to virtual reality-based interactive learning games to automated data capture devices for use by therapists and teachers.
The ITA steering committee works with each course instructor to help them develop their course using sample syllabi, important themes and useful references from past courses. Course objectives, according to ITA steering committee chair Katharina Boser, Ph.D., are to "capture innovative thinking from a fresh pool of observers and problem-solvers, raise disability awareness among talented students, and promote interest in careers with an autism and disability focus." According to the core course description, technical skills are not required, but students are encouraged to think flexibly and with an open mind.
The students' observations and interactions with the autism community not only serve as a vehicle to develop new products promoting access to education, work or social interaction, they provide an entry point for bright minds to brainstorm about autism. These popular courses have captured the interest of students across several university campuses, many of whom have been mentored into this field and are now cultivating their own career in the burgeoning field of Autism Technologies. The recently concluded ITA class taught at MIT by ITA steering committee Vice Chair Matthew Goodwin, Ph.D. received such good student feedback that it was among the highest ranked within its department all semester long.
The 2010 installment of the ITA course has now been announced. Graduate students at the University of Southern California will have the opportunity to enroll in "Innovative Technology for Autism Spectrum Disorders" taught in the spring semester by ITA Steering Committee member Olga Solomon, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. "I'm so excited to finally bring the class to USC," explained Dr. Solomon, "the theme is in the use of technology to construct identities and allow people to pursue all possible futures."
Students interested in participating can find more information here: http://ot.usc.edu/academics/current-students/autism.
Read more about the Autism Speaks' Innovative Technology for Autism university courses here.
With that in mind, the aim of Autism Speaks' Innovative Technology for Autism (ITA) initiative is to stimulate creative design and provide more immediate solutions to the challenges faced by individuals living with autism today. By encouraging collaboration among technology design teams and autism clinical researchers, ITA's primary mission is to encourage applied research that adapts the use of available technologies or spurs the development of new ones for the benefit of the autism community. The goal is to facilitate the development of technologies that can tangibly assist individuals with autism, their families and their caregivers.
As part of this mission, for the past six years Autism Speaks' ITA initiative has sponsored a university course to introduce young designers to the complexities of autism. Unlike typical lecture-only classes, students enrolled in the ITA courses form interdisciplinary research teams that make regular field visits to homes, schools, and work places of individuals with autism. Their assignment: to identify challenges, strengths, and community needs, all with the intent to dream up ways for novel technology to make an immediate and positive impact.
Upon identifying a unique opportunity for technology to intervene, each group proposes a design for a product and then spends the rest of the semester creating prototypes and "beta-testing" them in the field. Student projects have ranged from organizational and reminding devices such as adaptable PDAs to virtual reality-based interactive learning games to automated data capture devices for use by therapists and teachers.
The ITA steering committee works with each course instructor to help them develop their course using sample syllabi, important themes and useful references from past courses. Course objectives, according to ITA steering committee chair Katharina Boser, Ph.D., are to "capture innovative thinking from a fresh pool of observers and problem-solvers, raise disability awareness among talented students, and promote interest in careers with an autism and disability focus." According to the core course description, technical skills are not required, but students are encouraged to think flexibly and with an open mind.
The students' observations and interactions with the autism community not only serve as a vehicle to develop new products promoting access to education, work or social interaction, they provide an entry point for bright minds to brainstorm about autism. These popular courses have captured the interest of students across several university campuses, many of whom have been mentored into this field and are now cultivating their own career in the burgeoning field of Autism Technologies. The recently concluded ITA class taught at MIT by ITA steering committee Vice Chair Matthew Goodwin, Ph.D. received such good student feedback that it was among the highest ranked within its department all semester long.
The 2010 installment of the ITA course has now been announced. Graduate students at the University of Southern California will have the opportunity to enroll in "Innovative Technology for Autism Spectrum Disorders" taught in the spring semester by ITA Steering Committee member Olga Solomon, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. "I'm so excited to finally bring the class to USC," explained Dr. Solomon, "the theme is in the use of technology to construct identities and allow people to pursue all possible futures."
Students interested in participating can find more information here: http://ot.usc.edu/academics/current-students/autism.
Read more about the Autism Speaks' Innovative Technology for Autism university courses here.
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