This research plans to verify the effectiveness of yet another cellular chatting software entitled MAAN, for example together in Arabic, to have adults having ASD, using pre-article investigation analysis. The purpose of MAAN will be to bring an obtainable, safer, and simple-to-play with chatting app to own adults with ASD and therefore support its addition in people. In this studies, i hypothesized the following: (1) The usage of options that come with mobile programs (text-to-speech [TTS], speech-to-text message [STT], and you may correspondence symbols [CS]), which are placed on MAAN, can boost the brand new public and you will communications feel out of adults with ASD; and you will (2) The effective use of brand new application can lessen public loneliness for the adults with ASD.

Analysis Framework

A blended strategies means is actually implemented inside research. Eight grownups with ASD was in fact asked to use MAAN along with their caregivers to have 16 days. Before the build and development of MAAN, semistructured interview was in fact used having professionals to talk about the brand new first advised application structure. The latest software construction was then altered with respect to the received feedback. Next, adults with ASD and their moms and dads otherwise caregivers was basically expected to help you fool around with MAAN to own a time period of sixteen months. This cycle was implemented regarding the research of the Laugeson et al , which advised that if receiving societal and you will interaction experiences treatments, improve is obvious on 16 weeks. The analysis come because of the getting in touch with some body prepared to take part. On account of COVID-19, the initial conferences to the users was basically presented on line. Most of the users received an email having describing the analysis advice, such date and time, and you will a beneficial weblink to own event informed consent having a virtual conference for the participants, their friends, in addition to their parents. Just after acquiring brand new participants’ consent, they were questioned to help you complete an on-line prestudy questionnaire managed to gather demographical suggestions. Mom and dad otherwise caregivers of the members was in fact as well as questioned to help you over a preliminary type of the brand new Personal and you will Psychological Loneliness Scale to possess Grownups (SELSA-S) survey . The aim of this survey were to influence the fresh new personal and you may family unit members loneliness of the users. For the a virtual meeting, the primary specialist informed me the new application possess in more detail and you can responded after that questions about the analysis. The players were and available with an effective hotline to help you report one procedure they may face during this studies. To guarantee the continuity of information collection, the participants were requested with the intention that brand new app are usually running on the history.

After the research, the people having ASD and their caregivers otherwise parents finished this new Cellular Application Rating Level: user version (uMARS) survey. New uMARS is a straightforward and you will reliable unit that can easily be utilized by end-pages to assess the standard of mobile wellness programs. It provides an effective 20-item scale that includes 4 mission quality subscales (engagement, possibilities, esthetics, and you will guidance top quality) and you can step one subjective top quality subscale. The purpose of this questionnaire will be to measure the app’s high quality in terms of usability. This new participants’ mothers or caregivers also finished brand new SELSA-S survey again to select the participants’ social and family members loneliness pricing following the analysis. Lastly, a semistructured interviews with mothers otherwise caregivers is used to get factual statements about this new perspective away from app use. The fresh interviews incorporated questions about the overall application experience in words away from usability, features, and challenges encountered with all the app, also tips for then enhancement.

MAAN App Design and you can Development

The fresh application contains another step 3 chief provides: TTS, STT, and you will CS. One of the really-understood possess that even be thought to be a variety of assistive technologies are the brand new TTS feature, enabling profiles to learn written text message towards the a computer, pill, otherwise track anybody striving in learning and decryption conditions . Furthermore, STT try a keen Web stranica ovdje assistive tech element used by people that struggle having writing. This kind of assistive tech lets address as turned into text by using the measuring unit. One another provides have become commonly used to assistance addition knowledge setup . The newest software also integrated the fresh CS ability, which is an important part regarding AAC-supported technology, and its own first goal is to try to help those with ASD during the constructing sentences. We are really not aware of any chatting app you to aids the new use of the CS ability. TAWASOL symbols was basically employed for the new CS element. These were developed in 2013 from the Mada Cardio, an enthusiastic assistive tech cardio from inside the Qatar. These types of symbols show the modern Standard Arabic words and tend to be customized to be culturally, socially, religiously, and you can linguistically acceptable. TAWASOL is dependant on the brand new AAC Icons Range that is led so you’re able to nonverbal otherwise minimally spoken individuals who want choice communication choice .