Use of Technology in Interventions for Children with Autism

A growing number of studies have investigated diverse applications of technology-based interventions with children with autism. The purpose of this paper is to review the growing empirical support for the efficacy of technology-based interventions with children with autism and to recommend future directions for research. This review will focus on five examples of technology introduced as a temporary instructional aid to be removed once the goal of behavior change has been met: (a) tactile and auditory prompting devices, (b) video-based instruction and feedback, (c) computer-aided instruction, (d) virtual reality, and (e) robotics. Future directions for research and practice with each technology are discussed. Keywords: autism; technology-based interventions; computer-aided instruction; virtual reality; robotics. ********** A growing number of studies have investigated diverse applications of technology-based interventions with children with autism. The popularity of technology in the field of psychology is evidenced by the development of new journals in the area (e.g., the Journal of Special Education Technology, the Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, etc.). In addition, clinical psychology journals are recognizing the importance of technology in service delivery and devoting special issues to the topic (e.g., Newman, 2004). Parents and clinicians regularly report that children with autism are drawn to technological devices and researchers have noted the importance of devising treatments that take advantage of this fascination (Colby, 1973). The purpose of this paper is to review the growing empirical support for the efficacy of technology-based interventions with children with autism and to recommend future directions for research. A review of technology-based interventions must first clarify the use of the word technology. The term is broadly defined as "the practical application of knowledge" or "the specialized aspects of a particular field of endeavor" (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 1994, p. 1210). This broad definition encompasses virtually any information or object that has been used in application to a field of study. For example, the application of stimulus control is technology to a behavioral clinician. A more specific use of the term refers to use of mechanical or electromechanical processes that often increase productivity and reduce or eliminate manual operations or operations done by older technologies. In the twenty-first century, technology commonly denotes a variety of popular electromechanical devices such as cell phones, video recording equipment, and hand-held, desktop, and laptop personal computers. It is the use of these tools with children with autism that will be the subject of this review paper. Some technology-based interventions are designed for indefinite use as an assistive tool (e.g., voice-output augmentative communication devices, microswitches, etc.) while others are introduced as a temporary instructional aid to be removed once the goal of behavior change has been met. This review will focus on five examples of the second category: tactile and auditory prompting devices, video-based instruction and feedback, computer-aided instruction, virtual reality, and robotics. Research support for the use of each technological advancement with children with autism will be reviewed, and directions for future research and practical application will be discussed. Mechanical Prompts Individuals with autism often need external stimulus prompts to initiate, maintain, or terminate a behavior. Commonly used prompts include vocal, gestural, physical, written/pictorial, and signed prompts, and each modality has been demonstrated effective for multiple purposes (MacDuff, Krantz, & McClannahan, 2001). Technological advancements in the last decade have created cost-effective automated prompting devices with the ability to deliver the same level of prompting with less human interaction and obtrusiveness and often less human effort in managing prompt delivery (e. …