Psycho-physiological implications of computer based social and non-social interactive tasks for children with autism

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by core deficits in imagination and communication, which impairs the individual's ability for effective interaction and socialization. Since these children learn effectively through imagery, educational set ups often use them for imparting education to this target group. However, conventional education settings use one-on-one interactions for long durations making accessibility to these specialized settings difficult. This is due to the high cost and restricted availability of specialized resources. With technological advancement, investigators have been exploring alternate approaches like, human robot interaction and human computer interaction (HCI). In this present work, we have used HCI to design various tasks that have relevance to social and non-social components of communication. While our participants interacted with HCI tasks, we acquired their real-time physiological signal. Results of an experimental study with a small group of ASD and their age-matched typically developing counterparts were promising with variations in their performance and psycho-physiology.