Affect-Sensitive Computing and Autism

Abstract

This chapter covers the application of affective computing using a physiological approach to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) during human-computer interaction (HCI) and human-robot interaction (HRI). Investigation into technology-assisted intervention for children with ASD has gained momentum in recent years. Clinicians involved in interventions must overcome the communication impairments generally exhibited by children with ASD by adeptly inferring the affective cues of the children to adjust the intervention accordingly. Similarly, an intelligent system, such as a computer or robot, must also be able to understand the affective needs of these children - an ability that the current technology-assisted ASD intervention systems lack - to achieve effective interaction that addresses the role of affective states in HCI, HRI, and intervention practice.