Matthew S. Goodwin

iCalm: Wearable Sensor and Network Architecture for Wirelessly Communicating and Logging Autonomic Activity

Widespread use of affective sensing in healthcare applications has been limited due to several practical factors, such as lack of comfortable wearable sensors, lack of wireless standards, and lack of low-power affordable hardware. In this paper, we present a new low-cost, low-power wireless sensor platform implemented using the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard, and describe the design of compact wearable sensors for long-term measurement of electrodermal activity, temperature, motor activity, and photoplethysmography. We also illustrate the use of this new technology for continuous long-term monitoring of autonomic nervous system and motion data from active infants, children, and adults. We describe several new applications enabled by this system, discuss two specific wearable designs for the wrist and foot, and present sample data.

Enhancing and Accelerating the Pace of Autism Research and Treatment The Promise of Developing Innovative Technology

In a previous In FOCUS column, Kimball and Smith (2007) nicely articulated the benefits and challenges of creating computer technology to support individuals with autism. They also provide a well-devised three-point plan to stimulate and support progress in technology development for this population. As a follow-up to their column, the current offering expands the discussion by (a) highlighting additional technologies emerging in the field (and as available, providing sample citations or URLs to exemplify each technology), (b) detailing the many ways these innovative technologies can be used to enhance and accelerate the pace of autism research and treatment, and (c) describing the Autism Speaks–Innovative Technology for Autism (ITA) Initiative as a resource to complement and aid Kimball and Smith’s call for further technology development. Although Kimball and Smith (2007) mentioned computer software for persons with autism, there are several additional innovative technologies being developed for this population that utilize the Internet; audio and video recorders; electronic sensing technology; computer architecture, hardware, and software; virtual reality; and robotics. These technologies, alone or in conjunction, can be used beneficially in a number of critical areas affecting individuals with autism, their families, and the professionals who support them.

Cardiovascular Arousal in Individuals With Autism

Despite the hypothesized link betWeen arousal and behavior in persons With autism, there is a lack of idiographic research that directly assesses arousal responses to novel stimuli or social situations in this population. The current study used heart rate as a measure of sympathetic activity to compare arousal responses to the presentation of potentially stressful situations in five persons With autism and five age- and sex-matched typically developing individuals. Findings revealed that the group With autism shoWed significant responses to stressors only 22% of the time compared to the typically developing group, Which shoWed significant responses 60% of the time. Interpretation of these results and methodological considerations for future research on arousal in persons With autism are discussed.

Recognizing stereotypical motor movements in the laboratory and classroom: a case study with children on the autism spectrum

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) frequently engage in stereotyped and repetitive motor movements. Automatically detecting these movements in real-time using comfortable, miniature wireless sensors could advance autistic research and enable new intervention tools for the classroom that help children and their caregivers monitor and cope with this potentially problematic class of behavior. We present activity recognition results for stereotypical hand flapping and body rocking using data collected from six children with ASD repeatedly observed in both laboratory and classroom settings. In the classroom, an overall recognition accuracy of 88.6% (TP: 0.85; FP: 0.08) was achieved using three sensors. Challenges encountered when applying machine learning to this domain, as well as implications for the development of real-time classroom interventions and research tools, are discussed.

Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Neonatal Behavior: A Large-Scale Community Study

OBJECTIVE. To investigate the influence of prospectively measured smoking during pregnancy on aspects of neonatal behavior in a large community sample. METHODS. Participants were mothers and infants from the Providence, Rhode Island, cohort of the National Collaborative Perinatal Project enrolled between 1960 and 1966. Mothers with pregnancy/medical complications and infants with medical complications and/or born premature or of low birth weight were excluded. The final sample included 962 mother-infant pairs, 23% of whom were black. Maternal smoking was measured prospectively at each prenatal visit. Neonatal behavior was assessed by using the Graham-Rosenblith Behavioral Examination of the Neonate. Items from the examination were reduced to 3 subscales: irritability, muscle tone, and response to respiratory challenge. RESULTS. Sixty-two percent of the sample reported smoking during pregnancy, with 24% of smokers reporting smoking 1 pack per day or more. We found a significant influence of maternal smoking exposure (none, moderate/less than 1 pack per day, heavy/1 pack per day or more) on irritability and muscle tone in the neonate, with exposed infants showing greater irritability and hypertonicity. Effects remained significant after controlling for significant covariates: maternal socioeconomic status, age, and race and infant birth weight and age. Posthoc tests suggested particular effects of heavy smoking on increased infant irritability and both moderate and heavy smoking exposure on increased muscle tone. CONCLUSIONS. In a large community sample, exposure to maternal smoking was associated with increased irritability and hypertonicity in neonates. Exposure to maternal smoking did not influence neonatal response to respiratory challenge. This study is the largest-scale investigation to date of the effects of maternal smoking (heavy and moderate) on examiner-assessed neonatal behavior. Given the associations between both maternal smoking and infant irritability and later behavioral dysregulation, results have important implications for early identification and intervention with at-risk offspring.

What can innovative technologies do for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Technology deals with human usage and knowledge of instruments and techniques to help people control and adapt to their natural environments. The usage of technology is taking an increasingly prominent role in research and clinical practice related to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). At the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), where the idea for this Special Issue on Autism and Technology was born, the number of accepted technology presentations increased from eight in 2004 to 36 in 2008. In 2009, a session dedicated solely to autism and technology was held at IMFAR where over 30 presenters from around the world demonstrated their work. Autism Speaks, one of the largest autism research funders internationally, continues to support an Innovative Technology for Autism Initiative1 began by Cure Autism Now to enhance and accelerate the pace of autism research and treatment by promoting collaborations among technologists, designers, engineers, and various stakeholders in the ASD community. Technological advances can potentially lead to novel and more effective treatment strategies and enhance quality of life for people with ASD and their families. A non-exhaustive list of examples includes the use of the Internet, online communities, robotics, assistive and prompting devices, computer-aided instruction, interactive metronomes, video modelling, video/DVD instruction, virtual reality, voice output communication devices, bio-sensing, telecommunication, computer-training (affect, social cognition, language), and computer-play (Goodwin, 2008). Articles selected for this Special Issue reflect some of the diversity and innovation involved in developing technologies for persons with ASD. Computer technology and the Internet are already beginning to change the lives of many people with ASD. Computers can help compensate for verbal and interaction problems and facilitate exchanges between people

Telemetric monitoring in the behavior sciences

This article reviews recent advances in telemetrics, a class of wireless information systems technology that can collect and transmit a wide variety of behavioral and environmental data remotely. Telemetrics include wearable computers that weave on-body sensors into articles of clothing, ubiquitous computers that embed sensors and transmitters seamlessly into the environment, and handheld devices, such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants, that can record cognitive and affective states. Examples of telemetric applications are provided to illustrate how this technology has been used in the behavioral sciences to unobtrusively and repeatedly gather physiological, behavioral, environmental, cognitive, and affective data in natural settings. Special issues relating to privacy and confidentiality, practical considerations, and statistical and measurement challenges when telemetrics are used are also discussed.

Interactive Technologies for Autism

Development, deployment, and evaluation of interactive technologies for individuals with autism have been rapidly increasing over the last decade. There is great promise for the use of these types of technologies to enrich interventions, facilitate communication, and support data collection. Emerging technologies in this area also have the potential to enhance assessment and diagnosis of individuals with autism, to understand the nature of autism, and to help researchers conduct basic and applied research. This book provides an in-depth review of the historical and state-of-the-art use of technology by and for individuals with autism. The intention is to give readers a comprehensive background in order to understand what has been done and what promises and challenges lie ahead. By providing a classification scheme and general review, this book can also help technology designers and researchers better understand what technologies have been successful, what problems remain open, and where innovations can further address challenges and opportunities for individuals with autism and the variety of stakeholders connected to them.

Automated Detection of Stereotypical Motor Movements

To overcome problems with traditional methods for measuring stereotypical motor movements in persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), we evaluated the use of wireless three-axis accelerometers and pattern recognition algorithms to automatically detect body rocking and hand flapping in children with ASD. Findings revealed that, on average, pattern recognition algorithms correctly identified approximately 90% of stereotypical motor movements repeatedly observed in both laboratory and classroom settings. Precise and efficient recording of stereotypical motor movements could enable researchers and clinicians to systematically study what functional relations exist between these behaviors and specific antecedents and consequences. These measures could also facilitate efficacy studies of behavioral and pharmacologic interventions intended to replace or decrease the incidence or severity of stereotypical motor movements.

Assessing Cardiovascular Responses to Stressors in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Characteristics of persons With autism and other developmental disabilities may make this population especially vulnerable to the effects of stress. Prior research on stress and its measurement in this population is revieWed. Using a single-case multielement design, this study explores the feasibility of measuring cardiovascular responses to four stressors in 10 individuals (age 13 to 37 years) With autism and other developmental disabilities. Results suggest that assessing cardiovascular responses is a viable procedure for identifying individual differences in reactivity to specific environmental stressors. Implications of this research and future directions for assessment are discussed.