Abstract
This chapter presents NoProblem!, a multi-user interface designed to teach social conversation and social interaction skills to children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD). HFASD is defined as a pervasive developmental disorder which involves deficits in socio-communication skills as well as with repetitive behaviors and restricted interests but with a relative high IQ (usually higher than 75). NoProblem! implements the principles of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) by interleaving learning and experience techniques. The process entails the display of short vignettes to present social tasks for the children to learn about and problem solve. In the learning part, a facilitator (teacher or therapist) uses the system to teach pairs of children about the phases of social conversation in different settings (e.g., at school, in the playground). The children consider and discuss prepared solutions, some of which are more appropriate than others; they may also propose and audio-record their own solutions. In the experience part, role-play of various conversational solutions is used. NoProblem! aims to provide opportunities to act out various conversational responses in a social setting that was selected as the most appropriate one and to practice it in a safe environment with partners who will cooperate. The results of formative and evaluation studies that demonstrate system usage and effectiveness in the teaching of conversational skills for HFASD children are presented. The children involved were interested, felt very competent doing this task, perceived that they could make choices, and felt minimal pressure and tension.
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Acknowledgments
This work was partially funded by the European project COSPATIAL (FP VII - 231266). We want to thanks the children and the teachers that participated in the study.
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Appendix
Appendix
Scenario experience feedback questionnaire (SEFQ)
Please circle the number that best reflects your response: | |||||
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 | Not at all |  | Very much | ||
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Did you enjoy the game? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Did you succeed in the game? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Was the game was easy for you? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Would you like to play the game again? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Did you feel you could control the game? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Did the game respond to you as you expected? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Did you have to wait too much time for the game to respond? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Did the game seem realistic to you? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
How clear was the computer’s response during the game? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Did you feel that you were an active player in the game? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
How quickly did you get used to playing the game? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Did you feel comfortable during the game? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Did you like being with your partner during the game? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
How much did the moving objects and sounds distract you during the game? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Scenario learning feedback questionnaire (SLFQ)
Please circle the number that best reflects your response: | |||||
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Did you succeed in solving the problem? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Was solving the problem easy for you? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Did the problem and answers seem realistic to you? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
How quickly did you get used to hearing about and suggesting answers to the problem? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Did you like solving the problem with your partner? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
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Zancanaro, M., Giusti, L., Bauminger-Zviely, N., Eden, S., Gal, E., Weiss, P.L. (2014). NoProblem! A Collaborative Interface for Teaching Conversation Skills to Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. In: Nijholt, A. (eds) Playful User Interfaces. Gaming Media and Social Effects. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-96-2_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-96-2_10
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