Autism Awareness Survey

In order to gain instant, adequate and accurate information from individuals, an online survey was distributed to a significant number of people. Thanks to Google Forms, we were able to distribute the survey to forty six people who were willing to help us with this project. This survey helped us in getting qualitative and quantitative information of the opinions of the general public regarding autism. To be frank, the answers of some of the respondents were astonishing, while other answers were somewhat expected. Below, a detailed explanation and comments of each question will be mentioned. In addition to the survey, we also questioned some people from different ages about Autism. Many people were quite hesitant to answer when they were first asked: “What is Autism?” It is an enigma. And to understand it is another mystery. Moreover, it is noteworthy to mention that we focused a lot on knowing what Autism is and trying to get what people think of it as it is very challenging to design something for autism without knowing the deep roots of this genetic disability.

Regarding the audience of the survey, it was answered by many people from different countries including Spain, Sweden, Jordan, Lebanon, Ukraine, Denmark and more. In addition, the survey targeted people from different age groups, in order to get more varied results instead of being restricted to one age group only (e.g. students for instance). One of our main goals while distributing the online survey was to try to get opinions from all over the world, not only one part or one continent. Autism affects people from all around the world, not only United States or Europe. It is present everywhere, and it is important to know the global awareness issues about autism before working on a solution.

The majority of respondents were students (78%) who study a field that is not related to autism. Yet 9% were students who study a field related to autism. In addition, 52% of the people who answered were shown to have no or small knowledge about autism. This means that more than half of the population are still not aware of the actual definition of autism, its symptoms and causes. Regarding the experience of people with autism, most people got their information from the media (30% selected the “I have read / watched videos about it” in the question that asks about the experience).

One good indication that shows that people somehow understand that autism is related to communication problems is the high percentage of people who chose “cannot communicate” as one of the symptoms of autism. In addition, the research showed us that people think that the most appropriate option is to include autistic children in normal classrooms regardless of their disability. It is true that they might need personal assistance in some cases, but it is vital not to exclude them from society, as that will only make things worse. Moreover, 47% of the respondents agreed that when designing a product that will be used by autistic people, we need to ask them as they are the experts in this field. 36% of respondents agreed that we should ask the caregivers, which also sounds reasonable as they are thoroughly acquainted with this disorder. In situations where the autistic person cannot communicate, the caregiver’s opinion might be the closest one to the autistic person.

All in all, the survey significantly helped us in reaching our next point in our project. The analysis on the responses gave us a clear image of what idea the population has about autism.

Group: Virginia Grande and Faris Halteh

Autism and its Mystery

According to webmd.com, a website specialized for providing health information services, Autism is defined as a “complex neurobehavioral disorder that includes impairments in social interaction and developmental language and communication skills and rigid, repetitive behaviors” (Web MD, 2013).

It is believed to be a genetic disorder that is detected in the first three years of a child’s life. No one knows the actual reason behind this disorder, but the genetic factors may be the most significant cause for the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Some environmental factors have been reported to participate in autism or worsen its symptoms. These factors include alcohol, drugs, smoking, pesticides and more.

In Sweden, the treatment involves no cost for the family, as it is included in the health system or is offered by the community. The process starts with a worried teacher, nurse or parent, who notices that a child is missing milestones in his/her development. After the diagnosis, neurologists, psychologists, occupational therapists and other professionals will team up to assist and evaluate the child.

Sweden aims for inclusion: an autistic child goes to a regular school. He/she may need an assistant there and, in some cases, also at home. These assistants receive guidance from the health care team.

Therefore, autism does not only involve the autistic child, but also his/her family, the health care team, and, indirectly, the community and even the country. Design to include those affected by autism means, thus, thinking about a whole community.

However, this community may lack awareness of the ASD. In some cases, this lack of awareness may be especially detrimental for the autistic person. One of the most important examples is the case where children go undiagnosed, therefore getting no treatment. This delay is highly harmful, as the earlier the treatment starts, the higher its success rate is. In other words: early intervention is a vital issue.

Lack of information is not the only problem. In some cases, there is misinformation even when research states the opposite belief. This is the case of the idea that vaccines and autism are linked. Despite the fact that numerous medical researches have not found any relationship between them, some parents stay skeptical.

People in the severe end of the autism spectrum are born, and are likely to remain, non-verbal. In this project we will be focusing on the early stages, due to importance of early intervention. We will be then focusing on these children as target group, to find solutions to their need of communication. Our research takes into account ways for inclusion, non-stigmatization and addition of options rather than changes of them.

References:

http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/searching-for-answers/vaccines-autism

http://vimeo.com/8182809

webmd.com