Cooper Anabelle, Ireland David
The Australian E-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Australia.
Stud Health Technol Inform. 2018;252:63-68.
There is a significant amount of anecdotal evidence of the benefits of individuals on the autism spectrum interacting with technology via natural language. Many of these individuals are non-verbal but still able to communicate via augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aids. This paper presents the design of a AAC software program (app) with embedded artificial conversational agent, called Alex. Alex runs on a Android device and is able to engage with the user on a variety of topics using symbols and images. Alex may be programmed via speech and occupational therapists and other key stakeholders via speech and hence does not require any specialised computer skills. The importance of customisation, interoperability, personalisation and motor skill considerations is herein discussed.
有大量轶事证据表明，自闭症谱系中的个体通过自然语言与技术互动能带来诸多益处。这些个体中有许多无法言语，但仍能通过辅助和替代沟通（AAC）工具进行交流。本文介绍了一款名为Alex的、嵌入人工对话代理的AAC软件程序（应用程序）的设计。Alex运行于安卓设备上，能够使用符号和图像就各种主题与用户互动。Alex可以由言语治疗师、职业治疗师及其他关键利益相关者通过语音进行编程，因此不需要任何专业计算机技能。本文还讨论了定制化、互操作性、个性化以及运动技能考量的重要性。
