[LINK] Call for IT Industry to Help With Autism

[Tom Worthington]

Professor Sylvia Rodger, Head of Occupational Therapy at University of Queensland, has briefed an international autism summit on a Proposal to establish a "Cooperative Research Centre on Autism". Key to the proposal is to involve the IT industry in the work. To me this worthwhile, it has been long established that those with Autism Spectrum Disorders have an affinity for IT. Web applications, particularly social networking, on smart-phones and tablet computer applications are likely to be of value. This research will also provide insights into better social networking applications for everyone.

Professor Rodger asked me how to contact major IT organisations. You can't simply email Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook or Larry Page at Google and invite them to take part. So I suggested using the medium of the web. To get an idea in front of the relevant people in government or industry, I put the details on the web and wait for someone to tell those people. Sometimes this does not work, but usually the information gets to those in charge in a few hours or days (formulating the information so this happens is an art).

In my view, research into the use of IT in autism could have benefits for computer applications generally. Autism is characterised by impaired social interaction and and difficulty in interpersonal communication. Just as the web accessibility guidelines have resulted in better web applications for those without a disability, research into autism could lead to better ways to communicate online for everyone. Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) is limited compared to face to face, with limited ability to convey subtle verbal and visual signals. Research on autism may provide insights.

So here are the details of the Autism CRC proposal, for anyone interested:

* Call for cooperative research centre to combat autism, Media Release, 
Faculty of Health, University of Queensland, 31 March 2011: 
<http://www.uq.edu.au/news/index.html?article=22927>.
* Autism CRC briefing for international summit (slides): 
<http://www.slideshare.net/sylviarodgerOT/autism-crc-briefing-autism-summit>.
* Invitation to Participate: Proposal to establish a Cooperative 
Research Centre for a Better Start and Future for Autism Spectrum 
Disorders (PDF): 
<http://www.autismqld.com.au/userfiles/Autism%20CRC%20Prospectus%20final%20March%202011%281%29.pdf>.
* Contact: Jill Ashburner, Autism Queensland, Phone: 07 3273 0075 Email: 
Jill.Ashburner(a)autismqld.com.au

ps:  I turned the CRC proposal PDF into HTML: 
<http://blog.tomw.net.au/2011/04/call-for-it-industry-to-help-combat.html#proposal>.


-- 
Tom Worthington FACS CP HLM, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Computer Science, The
Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/
Visiting Scientist, CSIRO ICT Centre: http://bit.ly/csiro_ict_canberra


-- 
  Tom Worthington FACS HLM
  PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia
  http://www.tomw.net.au