Gamified Smart Mirror to Leverage Autistic Education - Aliza

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes difficulties in communication, emotional responsiveness and social skills. There has been a global increase rate in autism and lack of resources locally to educate ASD children. As this condition affects children at an early stage, it remains a challenge in learning. Even though today's world there are ample of teaching methods and technologies, people are unaware of the use and impact of them. This paper presents “Aliza” Gamified smart mirror to teach basic education for autism children. “Aliza” consists of four core components such as writing mentor for pre-writing, math tutor for mathematics, verbal trainer for speech and attentiveness tracker for emotion detection. These components assist and enhance their competency in education. The users of the “Aliza” will be constantly monitored and evaluated during their training using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The interactive games are given to impact their learning process while the generated report from the Deep Learning evaluation system can acquaint parents and the tutors with the progress of the children. Through this research, it is expected to improve autistic children's basic education with assistance of “Aliza”.

I. Introduction

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that is characterized by heterogeneous deficits in social communication, interaction and pattern of behavior across individuals. According to world health organization, one in 160 children has ASD worldwide and its prevalence appears to be increasing globally[1]. Despite the impairments, the individuals with ASD are succeeding in different sectors with the right support and early intervention. Autism is not a learning disability yet it can affect their learning skills. Since Autism children have strong visual processing skills, using pictures and technology can be more effective to improve their learning skills than the traditional methods. Technological advances have potentially lead to novel and more effective treatment strategies and enhance quality of life for people with ASD and their families [2]. Several studies showed that most people with autism show a natural affinity for technology and a good disposition for using technology and learning through the use of computers [3] as the experiences it provides are predictable and structured, which helps people with ASD to maintain their routines and repetitive behavior without affecting their comfort [4].