Minireviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatr. Dec 19, 2021; 11(12): 1239-1246
Published online Dec 19, 2021. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i12.1239
E-technology social support programs for autistic children: Can they work?
Natalie G Wall, Oliver Smith, Linda E Campbell, Carmel Loughland, Mark Wallis, Frans Henskens, Ulrich Schall
Natalie G Wall, Oliver Smith, Linda E Campbell, Carmel Loughland, Mark Wallis, Frans Henskens, Ulrich Schall, Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan 2308, NSW, Australia
Natalie G Wall, Oliver Smith, Linda E Campbell, Carmel Loughland, Mark Wallis, Frans Henskens, Ulrich Schall, The Brain and Mental Health Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights 2305, NSW, Australia
Linda E Campbell, School of Psychology, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan 2308, NSW, Australia
Author contributions: Wall NG designed the paper outline and performed the majority of the writing; Smith O performed writing and prepared the figure; Campbell LE, Loughland C, Wallis M and Henskens F provided input in writing the paper; Schall U provided input, designed the figure, and coordinated the writing of the paper.
Supported by Hunter Medical Research Institute (Happy, Healthy Kids), No. G1801008; and an Australian Government Research Training Program Fee Offset and Scholarship.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Natalie G Wall, MA, Research Associate, Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan 2308, NSW, Australia. natalie.wall@newcastle.edu.au
Received: February 26, 2021
Peer-review started: February 26, 2021
First decision: July 15, 2021
Revised: August 4, 2021
Accepted: November 1, 2021
Article in press: November 1, 2021
Published online: December 19, 2021
Processing time: 292 Days and 5.9 Hours
Abstract

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition with associated difficulties that present differently across individuals. One such difficulty is recognizing basic and complex facial expressions. Research has previously found that there are many evidence-based support programs available for building non-verbal communication skills. These programs are frequently administered with a therapist or in a group setting, making them inflexible in nature. Programs hosted on e-technology are becoming increasingly popular, with many parents supportive of them. Applications (apps) that are hosted on technology such as iPads or mobile phones allow users to engage in building skills in real-time social settings and own what they are learning. These technologies are frequently used by autistic children, with apps typically focusing on identifying facial features. Yet at this current time, there are mixed reviews of how to design such programs and what their theoretical backing is, with many studies using a mix of observation and psychological assessments as outcome measures. Eye-tracking and electroencephalography are established methodologies that measure neural processing and gaze behaviors while viewing faces. To better support the field moving forward, objective measures such as these are a way to measure outcomes of apps that are designed for helping children on the spectrum build skills in understanding facial expressions.

Keywords: Autism; Facial expression recognition; Technology; Eye-tracking; Electroen- cephalography

Core Tip: Social support programs hosted on interactive technologies are becoming increasingly popular in the field of autism research. There are varied methods by which researchers determine the effectiveness of these programs. The review aims to address the current field by providing recommendations for assessing evidence-based tablet applications that support social skill development.