Semantic knowledge-based language education device for children with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the most significant public health concerns in the United States and also worldwide. Children with ASD and other developmental disabilities (DD) are often lacking in verbal ability. Even though early interventions can improve it greatly, access to special education services are often challenging for families with a child with DD. This research study proposed a cyber-physical system that can be easily deployed in a daily environment of children with DD and can teach them language. As a part of this ultimate goal, this research project explored how semantic technology can be applied to this domain. As a result, it demonstrated the technical feasibility of a prototype of a portable speech generating device which may be applicable to children with ASD or other DD by utilizing the semantic knowledge based on an ontology.