A software program for people with Autism to simplify documents and text

Introduction About Autism Audience / market How the program will work Software development process Involvement of people with Autism The final product Technical specifications Availability Training More information & updates Project partners Acknowledgements Contents

A tool for simplifying documents and text Primarily for people with Autism who have difficulty with understanding regular text Converts written information into a simpler format eg. English > simplified English eg. Spanish > simplified Spanish Using computerised language technology, it removes the need for a human editor, improving independence and social inclusion of people with Autism Developed by 9 organisations under a European Commission FP7 Programme funded 3-year cooperative research project First version will be available in late 2014 (in English, Spanish & Bulgarian) Introducing a new software program

 Autism is a disability  A ‘spectrum’ of disorders, with common characteristics:  Impairments in communication  Impairments in social interaction  Impairments in understanding information  The level of impairment ranges from mild to severe  Impairments and symptoms vary between individuals, but all have difficulties in the 3 areas above  Current research estimates that around 1 in people fit the diagnostic criteria for an Autism Spectrum Disorder* * Barthélémy et al, 2008, Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Identification, Understanding & Intervention About Autism

Intellectual abilities vary between individuals, from superior intelligence in some areas to profound intellectual disability However, many individuals with Autism are within the normal range of intelligence Asperger’s Syndrome is a type of Autism (these people usually have normal or high level intellectual abilities) Language skills also vary between individuals (some people who have Autism do not speak at all) Yet, all people with Autism experience some difficulties in:  Comprehending speech and writing  Interpreting figurative/non-literal language  Understanding complex instructions  Deriving the meaning or gist of written documents  More information about Autism: About Autism (…continued)

Primarily for: -People with Autism (approx 3.3 million across Europe) Also useful for: -People who have learning difficulties -People with other language-related disorders, such as Aphasia (result of stroke or head injury, ranges from difficulty remembering words to being unable to speak, read or write) -People who are learning a foreign language -People with low level of literacy -Elderly people with Dementia -Teachers, parents and carers of these people Audience / market

It converts electronic documents into a simplified form that is easier for people with Autism to read Document types that can be converted include: web pages, e-books,.pdf documents Simplified documents are output in xml format Simplified documents are personalised to users’ reading abilities and preferences How the progam will work

The simplification process includes: – Reducing complexity Replacing some long / technical words* > short, simple words Replacing some highly technical words* > more common words Replacing long complex sentences > several short, simple sentences – Removing ambiguity Replacing some non-literal language* > literal language Replacing pronouns > noun phrases (eg. He threw it back to her > John threw the red ball back to Sally) Providing definitions for technical and ambiguous words and phrases – Improving readability Adding pictures* Adding document navigation tools for long documents Providing concise summaries of long documents * Pictures are added when replacing and removing operations are not possible How the progam will work

Year 1 ( ) Year 2 ( ) Year 3 ( ) Software development process Testing & evaluation Designing system architecture & user interface Identifying user requirements Processing structural complexity of languages Processing ambiguity in meaning of words Generating personalised documents Processing structural complexity of languages Processing ambiguity in meaning of words Generating personalised documents

Identifying user requirements - General Research during early phase of software development to define the needs of people with Autism (in relation to accessing text documents) more clearly than any previous studies Focus group discussions with sample group of people with Autism Results to determine general user requirements & to formulate questions for the software’s ‘user preference survey’ Software development process

Identifying user requirements - Individual The software is programmed to identify each individual user’s reading abilities The software prompts each new user to respond to a series of questions in a ‘user preference survey’ The answers given enable the software to determine users’ reading abilities and complexity thresholds The software then simplifies documents according to the level of complexity that the user can understand (Eg. at a certain level of complexity, the software will be triggered to remove words or sentences that will be difficult for the user to understand) Software development process

Processing structural complexity of languages Identifying: -Long complex words -Long complex sentences Replacing these elements with: -Shorter, more commonly used words (using Lexical Processor) -Two or more sentences, and or bullet points (using Syntactic Processor) Software development process

Processing ambiguity in meaning of words Identifying: -Words with multiple meanings -Words / phrases that are rare, specialised/technical or have non- literal meanings (eg. metaphors, idioms, etc) Providing: -A definition of the word -A set of images or pictograms to enhance understanding of the concept -Semantic class (eg. for ambiguous words, a category/context for the word as it is used in the specific text) Software development process

Generating personalised documents Before simplifying each document, the software prompts users to answer a series of ‘pre-reading questions’ that will help them to understand the document For example, if the document to be simplified is about cooking, the pre-reading questions might ask the user to identify items found in a kitchen Based on previous research*, this can assist users to put the information they are about to read into perspective * O'Connor & Klein, 2004, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34 (2). Software development process

Generating personalised documents Personalised documents include: -Interactive table of contents -Heading -Converted summarised text (with sub- headings) -Images -Simple layout design that aids understanding Software development process

Designing system architecture & user interface Combining the parts to create a functioning software system Designing a user interface for people with Autism that contains minimal visual distractions Designing a user interface for intermediaries who will help people with Autism to use the software User interface will be accessible on desktop, laptop & tablet computers (if there is enough demand, also on for hand-held devices) Software development process

Testing & evaluation Testing technical functionality of software -Tests for accuracy and readability of simplified text -Comparing simplified documents generated by the software with manually written simplified documents Software development process

Testing & evaluation Testing with end users: People with Autism -300 participants (both adults & children) with ‘high-functioning’ Autism -Adults in UK, Children (aged 12 & above) in Spain, 100 in Bulgaria -Must have IQ of 70 or above -Tests to confirm participants’ diagnosis of high functioning Autism -Reading comprehension tests with documents on various topics (under exam conditions) -Participants read documents in original and simplified formats -Participants answer multiple choice tests about their understanding of the documents -Testing results will inform future development / versions of the software Software development process

Testing & evaluation Surveys for end users: Intermediaries -18 participants (3 clinical centres x 6 participants) -Including carers, social workers & psychologists -Provided with training on how to use the software -Participants are asked to use the software to prepare 6 documents for people with Autism -Afterwards, participants complete a survey to assess the useability of the software for people with Autism -Survey results inform development of final software product Software development process

Involvement in all stages of software development Direct & indirect involvement (people with Autism, as well as their teachers, parents, carers, and professionals) Planning – Information & advice from Autism organisations Testing – 300 people with Autism directly involved in testing the software Evaluation – 18 intermediaries (carers, social workers, psychologists & doctors) involved in evaluating the usefulness of the software for people with Autism Perceptions of inclusion will be evaluated via qualitative interviews and focus groups with a sample of the people with Autism who participated in testing the software Involvement of people with Autism

 Images of user interface & simplified documents will be available in 2014 The final product

 Details of system requirements for the software will be available soon Technical specifications

 Beta version is expected to be available for public use and testing in 2014  Final version is scheduled for release late 2014  Product launch will be held in 2014 Availability

 Training will be available for professionals in the field of Autism in 2014 Training

 Check website for updates:  Join our mailing list:  Contact us: More information & updates

University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom Universidad de Alicante, Spain Autism-Europe a.i.s.b.l., Europe Universidad de Jaen, Spain Parallel World Sdruzhenie, Bulgaria Deletrea SL, Spain iWeb Technologies Ltd, United Kingdom Kodar OOD, Bulgaria Project partners

Research Group in Computational Linguistics Specialises in language technology Role: -Project coordinator -Leader in processing structural complexity of languages -Substantially involved in all aspects of software development -Contributor to sustainability/commercialisation of the software -Contributor to all other aspects of project University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Major provider of health & social services for people with mental health issues (including Autism) in the UK One of the leading research organisations for clinical evaluations Role: -Leader in testing & evaluation -Substantially involved in design of system architecture & user interface -Contributor to dissemination of information about the software -Contributor to other aspects of project Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom

Natural Language Processing & Information Systems Group Specialises in language translation software development (in Spanish & English) Role: -Leader in processing ambiguity in meaning of words -Substantially involved in all aspects of software development for Spanish & English -Contributor to other aspects of project Universidad de Alicante, Spain

Advocacy organisation representing the rights of people with Autism across Europe Role: -Leader in dissemination of information about the software -Contributor to other aspects of project Autism-Europe, Belgium

SINAI (Sistemas Inteligentes de Acceso a la Información) - Intelligent System for Information Access Group Specialises in language technologies development (in Spanish & English) Role: -Leader in generation of personalised documents -Substantially involved in all aspects of software development for Spanish & English -Contributor to other aspects of the project Universidad de Jaén, Spain

Education and socialisation services for children and young people with Autism and other intellectual disabilities Specialise in communication and learning difficulties Role: -Substantial involvement in dissemination of information about the software -Contributor to testing & evaluation -Contributor to system architecture & user interface -Contributor to other aspects of project Parallel World Sdruzhenie, Bulgaria

Multidisciplinary team of professionals in the diagnosis and treatment of Autism and other speech/language disorders Role: -Leader in identifying user requirements -Contributor to testing & evaluation -Contributor to design of system architecture & user interface -Contributor to other aspects of project Deletrea SL, Spain

IT solutions company that works with clients to improve competitiveness and operational efficiency Specialises in solutions for healthcare providers to improve patient quality of life and care pathways Role: -Leader in designing system architecture & user interface -Contributor to testing & evaluation -Contributor to other aspects of project iWeb Technologies Ltd, United Kingdom

Major Bulgarian software company Specialises in software systems for management & finance for the public & private sectors Role: -Leader in sustainability/commercialisation of the software -Substantially involved in testing & evaluation -Contributor to all aspects of software development for Bulgarian language -Contributor to other aspects of project Kodar OOD, Bulgaria

The research leading to this software product has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7, ), under grant agreement n° Acknowledgements