CASCATE Project
- 1. Research on technologies for children with autism spectrum disorders MarjoVoutilainen University of Eastern Finland School of Educational Sciences and Psychology Special Education Research funded by
- 2. CHILD AS AN IMITATOR CHILD AS A USER CHILD AS A CREATOR CHILD AS AN ACTOR AND CREATOR Communication Interaction Robotics Shared attention Interaction Creativity Interaction Communication, interaction, shared attention, creativity Dynamic technology-enhanced learning environment Virtual learning environments Construction kits Difficulty-based approach Strength-based approach Future technologies Everyday technologies of today Why?
- 3. CASCATE research project • The CASCATE research project, 2011-2014, (www.uef.fi/cascate) - Children with Autism Spectrum disorders as Creative Actors in a strength-based Technology-enhanced learning Environment Research with and for children - Project leader professor Eija Kärnä (special education) • Action research with the group of 4 children with autism - 2 boys (7-11 years), 2 girls (7-12 years) + their teachers and assistants - Children’s challenges: Limited verbal language skills - Children’s strengths: Good auditory or visual senses, and variety if ICT skills • Conducting research activities at school - Group sessions called ”action group” (symbol on the right) - Approx. 9 group sessions / school semester, 1 hour / group session - Group sessions are hold weekly - 4 technology-based workstations ”Action group”
- 4. • Four principles: 1. Children’s creativity and active role - Current solutions emphasizes children as (passive) users of technology 2. Children’s strengths - Current solutions focus on core characteristics of autism i.e. children’s disabilities 3. Technology’s modifiability - Current solutions often provide one solution 4. Technology’s transformability - New, advanced solutions are often expensive and too complex in the school context Technology-enhanced learning environment
- 5. Symbol matching LEGO building Kinect playingStory telling Technology solutions Feedback
- 6. • Inclusion in research by involving even the most challenging children as actors and developers in the R&D activities • Paying attention to children’s individual strengths not disabilities (that are salient but able to overcome) • Developing the technology-enhanced learning environment as a whole by paying attention to technological and pedagogical components • Need for modifiable technology solutions that support children as individuals Conclusions