Technology-enhanced discriminative programs for children with autism

Autism can impact a subject’s communication, socialization and language abilities with different degrees of severity. Specific therapy is needed to improve and maintain these abilities over time. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) enriches communication with images, video or gestures to help children with autism understand the task. Discrete Trial Training (DTT), breaking up a task into small trials of increasing levels of difficulty (structured trials), is used in teaching autistic children. In this paper, we compare the progress of seven autistic children while carrying out classic and technology-enhanced Applied Behavior Analysis discriminative programs, including matching, receptive and expressive trials. Results show that learning times are reduced; i.e., children in the sample required less time to master new articles and to generalize previously mastered skills.