This research intentions to be sure the effectiveness of a new cellular messaging app titled MAAN, which means together for the Arabic, getting people which have ASD, having fun with pre-post studies studies. The purpose of MAAN is to provide an obtainable, safe, and easy-to-explore chatting app for grownups having ASD thus support their addition from inside the community. In this study, i hypothesized another: (1) This new entry to attributes of mobile programs (text-to-address [TTS], speech-to-text [STT], and you may correspondence symbols [CS]), being placed on MAAN, can raise the newest social and correspondence experience of grownups having ASD; and (2) The usage the fresh new software can aid in reducing public loneliness for the grownups with ASD.
Data Construction
A blended steps strategy is then followed in this studies. 7 people which have ASD was basically asked to utilize MAAN the help of its caregivers for 16 weeks. Ahead of the construction and you can development of MAAN, semistructured interview was in fact conducted having benefits to discuss the newest original recommended app structure. The brand new application construction ended up being modified depending on the received viewpoints. Following, adults with ASD and their parents otherwise caregivers was expected so you can fool around with MAAN to possess a time period of 16 days. So it duration is actually accompanied from the studies by Laugeson mais aussi al , and therefore suggested that when acquiring social and you may interaction enjoy interventions, upgrade is just clear within sixteen months. The research become because of the calling people willing to engage. On account of COVID-19, the initial group meetings on the players was in fact used on line. Most of the professionals received a message to possess explaining the analysis recommendations, like time and date, and you will a weblink to have meeting informed consent to have an online meeting toward professionals, their friends, and their parents. Just after acquiring the fresh new participants’ concur, they certainly were expected to help you complete an on-line prestudy survey in check to get demographical recommendations. The parents or caregivers of one’s participants was basically and additionally expected so you can complete an initial sorts of new Social and you can Psychological Loneliness Size having Grownups (SELSA-S) survey . The goal of so it questionnaire would be to determine brand new social and you may relatives loneliness of the participants. For the an online fulfilling, the principal researcher explained new app possess in more detail and you can replied after that questions regarding the research. The players was Posjetite poДЌetnu stranicu basically including available with a good hotline to statement any situation they might deal with in this studies. To be sure the continuity of information collection, the players was basically asked making sure that brand new software try always powering about background.
At the conclusion of the research, all the people with ASD in addition to their caregivers or mothers completed the Mobile Application Score Size: associate version (uMARS) survey. The fresh uMARS is an easy and you can legitimate product which are often employed by avoid-pages to evaluate the grade of mobile health programs. It gives a good 20-items scale including 4 purpose quality subscales (wedding, functionality, esthetics, and guidance quality) and you can step 1 personal top quality subscale. The goal of which survey will be to measure the app’s top quality regarding usability. This new participants’ moms and dads otherwise caregivers and additionally accomplished the fresh new SELSA-S survey again to find the participants’ societal and you will loved ones loneliness cost following analysis. Finally, a great semistructured interviews which have mothers otherwise caregivers are presented to gather facts about brand new context of app incorporate. The interviews included questions about the overall app experience in words away from functionality, abilities, and you can challenges discovered while using the application, plus tips for next improvement.
MAAN Application Build and you will Creativity
The newest app contained the next 3 head features: TTS, STT, and CS. Among better-identified features that can also be considered as a kind of assistive technology is brand new TTS ability, which allows users to know composed text towards the a pc, tablet, otherwise tune someone struggling from inside the training and you will decryption terms . Similarly, STT was a keen assistive technology ability utilized by people who fight that have writing. This kind of assistive technical allows message are converted into text message with the calculating unit. One another keeps are extremely aren’t utilized to help addition studies options . New application and additionally included the new CS ability, that is an essential part out of AAC-offered technology, as well as first purpose should be to help people who have ASD within the developing sentences. We’re not alert to any chatting app one helps this new utilization of the CS element. TAWASOL icons was in fact employed for the CS feature. These people were developed in 2013 by the Mada Cardio, an assistive tech cardio within the Qatar. These types of symbols portray the modern Important Arabic words and are generally tailored becoming culturally, socially, consistently, and you may linguistically acceptable. TAWASOL is based on the brand new AAC Signs Range and that is led so you’re able to nonverbal otherwise minimally spoken people who want option communications choice .