A User-Centred Methodology for the Development of Computer-Based Assistive Technologies for Individuals with Autism

The design and development of computer assistive technolo-gies must be tied to the needs and goals of end users and must takeinto account their capabilities and preferences. In this paper, we presentMeDeC@, a Methodology for the Development of Computer AssistiveTechnologies for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), whichrelies heavily in our experience working with end users with ASD. Theaim of this methodology is not to design for a broad group of users, butto design highly customizable tools so that they can be easily adaptedto specific situations and small user groups. We also present two applications developed using MeDeC@ in order to test its suitability: Emo-Traductor, a web application for emotion recognition for people withAsperger Syndrome, and ReadIt, a web browser plug-in to help peoplewith ASD with written language understanding difficulties to navigatethe Internet. The results of our evaluation with end users show thatthe use of MeDeC@ helps developers to successfully design computerassistive technologies taking into account the special requirements andscenarios that arise when developing this kind of assistive applications.