This study intentions to be sure the potency of a different sort of cellular messaging application named MAAN, which means that together into the Arabic, to possess grownups which have ASD, having fun with pre-article study studies. The aim of MAAN would be to promote an easily accessible, secure, and easy-to-use messaging app for grownups which have ASD and therefore service their addition inside area. Inside data, we hypothesized the next: (1) The newest entry to top features of cellular programs (text-to-message [TTS], speech-to-text [STT], and you may interaction icons [CS]), being applied to MAAN, can enhance new societal and you may interaction event off adults with ASD; and (2) The usage of the fresh app can lessen social loneliness within the adults having ASD.
Data Design
A combined procedures means is actually then followed within data. Seven people with ASD was in fact expected to make use of MAAN with the caregivers to possess sixteen days. Ahead of the structure and growth of MAAN, semistructured interview have been used which have advantages to talk about the original advised application design. The latest application structure was then altered depending on the acquired feedback. After that, grownups which have ASD as well as their parents or caregivers was in fact requested to fool around with MAAN for a period of sixteen weeks. So it stage are implemented on the study from the Laugeson et al , and therefore recommended that if finding societal and you can communications experience treatments, update is only obvious within sixteen months. The research already been by the calling somebody ready to engage. Due to COVID-19, the original group meetings into the users was in fact used on the internet. Every professionals gotten a message having explaining the analysis advice, eg time and date, and you will an excellent weblink getting meeting told consent to possess an online fulfilling on the users, their friends, as well as their moms and dads. Shortly after receiving new participants’ concur, they were asked to fill an internet prestudy survey managed to get demographical recommendations. Mom and dad otherwise caregivers of your participants was and asked in order to done an initial kind of brand new Societal and you can Emotional Loneliness Level for People (SELSA-S) survey . The aim of that it questionnaire was to determine the newest personal and loved ones loneliness of your members. In the a virtual conference, the principal researcher informed me new application enjoys in detail and you may answered after that questions regarding the analysis. The participants was in fact as well as available with good hotline to statement people question they may deal with with this studies. To guarantee the continuity of data collection, the participants was basically questioned so that new application try usually powering on the record.
At the end of the study, most of the people with ASD as well as their caregivers otherwise dating Anta in Portugal women moms and dads done the Mobile Application Rating Level: associate type (uMARS) questionnaire. The latest uMARS is a simple and reputable device and this can be employed by stop-profiles to assess the standard of mobile health applications. It gives a 20-goods scale including 4 objective quality subscales (wedding, capabilities, esthetics, and guidance high quality) and you may step 1 personal quality subscale. The objective of this questionnaire would be to measure the app’s quality when it comes to usability. The fresh participants’ mothers or caregivers along with completed the SELSA-S questionnaire again to determine the participants’ societal and family unit members loneliness pricing following data. Finally, a great semistructured interviews having moms and dads otherwise caregivers is actually used to get information about the newest framework from software usage. New interviews incorporated questions about the general app experience in terms off functionality, functionality, and you can challenges found while using the application, along with suggestions for further enhancement.
MAAN Software Build and you can Creativity
The new app consisted of another step 3 chief features: TTS, STT, and you can CS. One of several well-identified enjoys that may additionally be thought to be a variety of assistive technology is the newest TTS element, enabling pages to learn created text message into the a computer, pill, otherwise tune someone battling from inside the learning and you will decoding conditions . Furthermore, STT try an assistive technical ability utilized by people that endeavor having creating. This style of assistive technical lets speech to get changed into text message by using the measuring equipment. One another provides are very are not utilized to assistance introduction training setup . This new application and additionally provided the fresh new CS ability, that’s an important part from AAC-supported technology, and its own no. 1 objective should be to let people with ASD during the creating sentences. We are really not alert to any messaging software one helps the latest utilization of the CS function. TAWASOL symbols was indeed used in this new CS feature. These people were designed in 2013 by Mada Cardiovascular system, a keen assistive technical center in the Qatar. These types of symbols represent the current Practical Arabic vocabulary and they are designed becoming culturally, socially, religiously, and linguistically acceptable. TAWASOL lies in new AAC Icons Range and that’s led in order to nonverbal or minimally spoken individuals who need alternative communication choices .