An emotion regulation app for school inclusion of children with ASD: Design principles and evaluation

Autism; Educative inclusion in mainstream environment; Emotion regulation intervention; Idiosyncratic multimedia contents; Participatory design; Tablet application; Computer science; Education; Emotion regulations; Multimedia contents; Tablet applications; Diseases

Abstract :

[en] The inclusion of adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in mainstream environments, especially mainstream classrooms, is critically impeded by their difficulties in self-regulating their emotions. Albeit new technologies have shown tremendous emulation in the field of ASD, solutions to assist individuals with ASD in emotion regulation appear very limited. This paper addresses this critical challenge through the design and evaluation of a tablet-based application dedicated to supporting adolescents with ASD in self-regulating their emotions in mainstream inclusive classrooms. This system relies on well-proven (paper-based) emotion-regulation interventions reported by special-education teachers and families through a participatory design. The experiment included 14 adolescents with ASD (as well as 19 adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities) using the application during three months in mainstream schools. We compared these two groups with another group of 15 adolescents with ASD who were not equipped with our application. Usability performance as well as efficacy performance (emotion-regulation outcomes) have been investigated in situ. We showed that 1) our system is autonomously and successfully used in mainstream classrooms, 2) it is also an efficient support for adolescents with ASD to self-regulate their emotions. This paper demonstrates that emotion regulation of adolescents with ASD can be supported within mainstream classrooms through an assistive technology, in order to improve both behaviors and sociocognitive processes linked with core features of ASD. Moreover, it provides insights of a methodology suited to mainstream classrooms, building on previous research addressing specialized settings. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd

Disciplines :

Neurosciences & behavior

Author, co-author :

Fage, Charles ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Logopédie > Logopédie clinique

Consel, C.; Équipe Phoenix, Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, 200 Avenue de la Vieille Tour, Talence Cedex, 33405, France

Etchegoyhen, K.; Centre Ressources Autisme et Troubles du Développement, Centre Hospitalier Charles Perrens, 121 rue de la Béchade, Bordeaux Cedex, 33076, France

Amestoy, A.; Centre Ressources Autisme et Troubles du Développement, Centre Hospitalier Charles Perrens, 121 rue de la Béchade, Bordeaux Cedex, 33076, France

Bouvard, M.; Centre Ressources Autisme et Troubles du Développement, Centre Hospitalier Charles Perrens, 121 rue de la Béchade, Bordeaux Cedex, 33076, France

Mazon, C.; Laboratoire HACS Handicap, Activité Cognition et Système Nerveux, Université de Bordeaux, 148 rue Léo Saignat, Bordeaux, 33000, France, Équipe Phoenix, Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, 200 Avenue de la Vieille Tour, Talence Cedex, 33405, France

Sauzéon, H.; Laboratoire HACS Handicap, Activité Cognition et Système Nerveux, Université de Bordeaux, 148 rue Léo Saignat, Bordeaux, 33000, France, Équipe Phoenix, Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, 200 Avenue de la Vieille Tour, Talence Cedex, 33405, France

Language :

English

Title :

An emotion regulation app for school inclusion of children with ASD: Design principles and evaluation

Publication date :

2019

Journal title :

Computers and Education

ISSN :

0360-1315

eISSN :

1873-782X

Publisher :

Elsevier, United Kingdom

Volume :

131

Pages :

1-21

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 12 June 2020

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