Your help requested: Autism and new technologies

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

I am a friend (and often babysitter) for a child with autism who is 8 and a child with an Asperger’s diagnosis who is 5. I am also a PhD student at Georgia Tech who is part of a research team looking at ways that software and new kinds of technologies can help people care for children with ASD.

Over the past several months, we have been designing new technologies and conducting focus groups to explore some of these. Over the next several weeks, I would like to talk with people about the use of video recording in classrooms, homes, and other areas of care for children with autism. I am particularly interested in talking with parents of kids on the spectrum and also adults with a diagnosis along the spectrum themselves.

During these sessions, we will discuss what kinds of things you might like to record, see, or share in your work/care time. We will also discuss ways in which this might be considered interfering with your ability to care, ways in which this might augment your ability to care, and ways in which we can design recording to be more socially appropriate for you. In the case that you have the diagnosis yourself, I will also ask you to reflect on how you might have felt when you were young if your parents and other caregivers used these technologies. The sessions should last between an hour and a half and two hours, and food will be provided. The sessions will likely take place at

Georgia Tech unless an entire session can be formed with people who are all local to one place (e.g. a school) and would like to meet there. PLEASE forward this on to anyone else that you think might be interested.

Tentative times are listed below. If you are interested, please email me back with your first, second, and third choices of times to participate. You can email me directly (Gillian@...) so that we don’t clutter up the mailing list too much. Please also indicate if you are interested but your participation depends on childcare, because we may be able to get some support along those lines.

Saturday July 23 5 – 7 (dinner provided)

Saturday July 30 11-1 (lunch provided)

Monday August 1 11 -1 (lunch provided)

Monday August 1 6 -8 (dinner provided)

Tuesday August 2 11 - 1 (lunch provided)

Saturday August 6 11 - 1 (lunch provided)

Saturday August 6 5 - 7 (dinner provided)

Again, please reply directly to me at gillian@... rather than to the whole list if you are interested.

Thanks!

Gillian

PhD student, College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology

http://www.gillianhayes.com

gillian@...

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