The latest assistive communication devices are here, and they work a bit like your iPhone

By Larry Greenemeier, Scientific American bit.ly/18RH28

Justin Birch lost his ability to speak in 2003 as the result of a brain aneurysm, but these days he is such a facile conversationalist he can ask for his favorite dinner—Ruby Tuesday Minis with fries and a raspberry iced tea—as well as harass his opponents after he defeats them at Texas Hold ‘em.

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If you know 23-year-old John Ryan Lee, then you know about his robots. He’ll spend hours in a day, perfectly content, tinkering away at old electrical parts.
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It has just nine moving joints — a number that might underwhelm robotics buffs. But Cosmo’s potential to help children has caught the attention of Minnesota’s globally-acclaimed Mayo Clinic.

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A new device helps people with Asperger’s or autism interpret expressions of emotion

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MIT has recently published course materials from its Fall 2007 course on Autism and Technology. The course aims to lay a foundation in autism theory and autism technology that significantly leverages and expands the MIT Media Lab’s ability to pioneer new technology. The course is available at no cost.

From ScienceDaily,
“Papers delivered at three conferences in the US and Europe this summer report on new research at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering studying interactions of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with bubble-blowing robots.”

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Therapeutic Systems, a concept business thought up by U of Mass at Amherst doctoral student Brian Mullen, won the $50,000 grand prize at the May 8 Technology Innovation Challenge (TIC).

Therapeutic Systems plans to market a novel “deep-pressure vest,” developed in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, that improves mental healthcare and the quality of life for people with mental illness, especially autism, by providing a “portable hug.” An estimated 3 million to 4 million patients suffer from developmental disorders such as autism.

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The ability to detect autism in children as young as nine months of age is on the horizon, according to researchers at McMaster University.

The Early Autism Study, led by Mel Rutherford, associate professor of psychology in the Faculty of Science, has been using eye tracker technology that measures eye direction while the babies look at faces, eyes, and bouncing balls on a computer screen.

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Using “virtual peers” — animated life-sized children that simulate the behaviors and conversation of typically developing children — Northwestern University researchers are developing interventions designed to prepare children with autism for interactions with real-life children.

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Recent research conducted at the University of Haifa found that children with autism improved their road safety skills after practicing with a unique virtual reality system. “Children with autism rarely have opportunities to experience or to learn to cope with day-to-day situations. Using virtual simulations such as the one used in this research enables them to acquire skills that will make it possible for them to become independent,” said Profs. Josman and Weiss, from the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Haifa.
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