ASD: Interaction and socialisation through an adapted social network

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a significant increase in the incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the population over the years. Estimates indicate that approximately 1% of children worldwide are diagnosed with autism, while in the United States, this ratio is 1 in every 36 chi...

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Main Authors: Filipe Costa Pereira, Maisa Folgueral, Cibelle Amato, Valéria Farinazzo Martins
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centro Latinoamericano de Estudios en Informática 2025-02-01
Series:CLEI Electronic Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://clei.org/cleiej/index.php/cleiej/article/view/741
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author Filipe Costa Pereira
Maisa Folgueral
Cibelle Amato
Valéria Farinazzo Martins
author_facet Filipe Costa Pereira
Maisa Folgueral
Cibelle Amato
Valéria Farinazzo Martins
author_sort Filipe Costa Pereira
collection DOAJ
description Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a significant increase in the incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the population over the years. Estimates indicate that approximately 1% of children worldwide are diagnosed with autism, while in the United States, this ratio is 1 in every 36 children. Additionally, research suggests a growing interest in technology among autistic children, with the use of computing devices showing potential for the development of social and emotional skills. Digital technology is widely recognized for playing a crucial role in promoting social inclusion and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. In this context, social networks offer a virtual environment for entertainment and interaction among various groups of individuals. This project aims to present a social network platform specifically developed for adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The project incorporates various accessibility concepts and strategies to promote interaction and socialisation among community members. Usability and accessibility evaluations were conducted in different ways. First, an initial usability test, conducted within the scope of the tool's development, involved two students and a professor in the field of HCI. Subsequently, the usability of the social network was evaluated by three specialists using Nielsen's heuristic evaluation technique, revealing few usability issues, as presented in this article. Furthermore, usability inspections were conducted using automated tools, identifying x issues, as described in the text. Finally, a test with an ASD specialist was conducted, whose considerations indicate good clinical use prospects for the tool, which are detailed in this article.
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institution Kabale University
issn 0717-5000
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Centro Latinoamericano de Estudios en Informática
record_format Article
series CLEI Electronic Journal
spelling doaj-art-2e6899e7c3a9407fa782fd6d27ab81a52025-02-06T16:59:26ZengCentro Latinoamericano de Estudios en InformáticaCLEI Electronic Journal0717-50002025-02-0128110.19153/cleiej.28.1.5ASD: Interaction and socialisation through an adapted social network Filipe Costa Pereira0Maisa Folgueral1Cibelle Amato2Valéria Farinazzo Martins3Universidade Presbiteriana MackenzieUniversidade Presbiteriana MackenzieUniversidade Presbiteriana MackenzieUniversidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a significant increase in the incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the population over the years. Estimates indicate that approximately 1% of children worldwide are diagnosed with autism, while in the United States, this ratio is 1 in every 36 children. Additionally, research suggests a growing interest in technology among autistic children, with the use of computing devices showing potential for the development of social and emotional skills. Digital technology is widely recognized for playing a crucial role in promoting social inclusion and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. In this context, social networks offer a virtual environment for entertainment and interaction among various groups of individuals. This project aims to present a social network platform specifically developed for adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The project incorporates various accessibility concepts and strategies to promote interaction and socialisation among community members. Usability and accessibility evaluations were conducted in different ways. First, an initial usability test, conducted within the scope of the tool's development, involved two students and a professor in the field of HCI. Subsequently, the usability of the social network was evaluated by three specialists using Nielsen's heuristic evaluation technique, revealing few usability issues, as presented in this article. Furthermore, usability inspections were conducted using automated tools, identifying x issues, as described in the text. Finally, a test with an ASD specialist was conducted, whose considerations indicate good clinical use prospects for the tool, which are detailed in this article. https://clei.org/cleiej/index.php/cleiej/article/view/741Autism Spectrum DisorderDigital TechnologySocial InclusionAccessibilityUsability Evaluation
spellingShingle Filipe Costa Pereira
Maisa Folgueral
Cibelle Amato
Valéria Farinazzo Martins
ASD: Interaction and socialisation through an adapted social network
CLEI Electronic Journal
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Digital Technology
Social Inclusion
Accessibility
Usability Evaluation
title ASD: Interaction and socialisation through an adapted social network
title_full ASD: Interaction and socialisation through an adapted social network
title_fullStr ASD: Interaction and socialisation through an adapted social network
title_full_unstemmed ASD: Interaction and socialisation through an adapted social network
title_short ASD: Interaction and socialisation through an adapted social network
title_sort asd interaction and socialisation through an adapted social network
topic Autism Spectrum Disorder
Digital Technology
Social Inclusion
Accessibility
Usability Evaluation
url https://clei.org/cleiej/index.php/cleiej/article/view/741
work_keys_str_mv AT filipecostapereira asdinteractionandsocialisationthroughanadaptedsocialnetwork
AT maisafolgueral asdinteractionandsocialisationthroughanadaptedsocialnetwork
AT cibelleamato asdinteractionandsocialisationthroughanadaptedsocialnetwork
AT valeriafarinazzomartins asdinteractionandsocialisationthroughanadaptedsocialnetwork