Towards in-home collection of behavior specimens: Within the cultural context of autism in Pakistan

Children with autism often engage in problem behaviors. The frequency and severity of these behaviors can be very detrimental to their quality of life. Direct observation of problem behaviors is the gold standard for assessment and intervention, but it can be costly and intrusive. It also introduces specific challenges, such as lack of occurrence of episodes of problem behavior during clinical observation, and behavior reactivity in the presence of an observer. We propose a smart phone based capture system that can support parents in collecting samples of their child's problem behaviors in the home for assessment and intervention purposes. Four concept exploration and concept validation studies were conducted with parents, behavior analysts and other caregivers of children with autism in Pakistan. A prototype informed by the concept exploration studies was developed and used as a probe in the concept validation studies conducted in laboratory and real world settings. In this paper we present our findings and their impact on the ecological integration within the cultural context of a developing but conservative society.