Computer-Based Training Improves Written Communication in Children with ASD
Effective written communication often requires the ability to consider the perspective of one’s audience, such as knowing what your reader may or may not know. However, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulty thinking about other people’s perspectives. In collaboration with Val San Juan and Michael Grossman at the University of Toronto, we designed a computer-based task that could be used to train children with high functioning ASD to consider their reader’s knowledge state when composing written instructions.
In a study to assess the task, 34 children and adolescents diagnosed with high-functioning ASD constructed unconventional figures called ‘Gruffees’ using a wide assortment of body parts that varied in shape, colour, and size. After constructing the figures, children were asked to compose written instructions so that an experimenter, who had never seen the Gruffees, could accurately reconstruct the figures. Children in the experimental condition were additionally provided with visual feedback in the form of Gruffees that had been reconstructed by their reader. This provided children with the opportunity to compare and contrast their instructions with their readers’ interpretation.
Following a brief training period of approximately 1 hour, children who received visual feedback showed significant improvements in the clarity of their written instruction (i.e, accuracy and detail of descriptions) relative to children who did not receive visual feedback. Improvements in written communication were also seen on tasks that were both similar (e.g., building a spaceship out of different parts) and distinct (e.g., describing a magic trick) from the Gruffee training task. Follow-up assessment further demonstrated that these improvements were maintained for six weeks following training!
Overall, these results suggest that written communication skills of children with high-functioning ASD can be improved via computer-based training such as the Gruffee task.
If you are interested in learning more about the study, please see: Grossman, M., Peskin, J., San Juan, V. (2013). Thinking about a reader’s mind: fostering communicative clarity in the compositions of youth with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43, 2376-2392.
The Game
A web-based version of this game has recently been designed in collaboration with Bon Adriel at the University of Calgary.
The Gruffee Game works best when using Google Chrome or Firefox. It requires 2 players playing on the same device, including the child diagnosed with ASD (Player 1)
STEPS
1) Player 1: Create your Gruffee
Player 1 designs a Gruffee according to his or her preferences by moving body parts and facial features from the left side of the screen onto the Gruffee body on the right.
The child can choose up to 8 parts and arrange them in any way they desire by clicking and dragging the desired parts.
2) Player 1: Type up your instructions
Once Player 1 has completed their Gruffee, they must type out instructions on how Player 2 can reconstruct an identical Gruffee. These instructions will be typed into the lower part of the screen.
3) Switch to Player 2: Reconstructing Player 1’s Gruffee
The building screen will reset while leaving Player 1’s instructions on the lower part of the screen. Player 2 must now reconstruct the figure using only the instructions available on the screen.
4) Compare Gruffees
The Gruffees of both players will be displayed side-by-side, along with Player 1’s instructions. Player 1 can compare and contrast the two Gruffees, thinking of ways to improve their instructions for subsequent rounds.
Click here to access the game we have developed to rapidly improve the communication skills of children with ASD. You will be redirected to the personal site of Valerie San Juan, where the game is hosted.