Assessing tablet applications focused on social interactions: what functionalities do Sri Lankan practitioners want for children with ASD?

Abstract

This paper assesses the applicability of commercially available tablet applications targeting the development of social interactions of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Sri Lanka. We identified seven tablet applications suitable for children with mild to moderate ASD in the age group of 3 to 10 years and evaluated them with 18 practitioners. Our results show that the commercially available applications do not satisfy the needs of Sri Lankan practitioners to support their children with ASD. Furthermore, we identified six key functionalities, which need to be considered while developing tablet applications to improve social skills of children with ASD. They are namely, 1) embedding social elements while teaching other skills such as academic skills, 2) customisability to facilitate relevant cultural contexts, 3) progress monitoring, 4) reinforcements only upon correct answers with suitable feedbacks and cues, 5) timers, and 6) bridging day-to-day physical objects with digital platforms.