Key factors mediating the use of a mobile technology tool designed to develop social and life skills in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Of late there has been growing interest in the potential of technology to support children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with social and life skills. There has also been a burgeoning interest in the potential use of mobile technology in the classroom and in the use of such technology to support children with ASD. Building on these developments, the HANDS project has developed a mobile cognitive support application for smartphones, based on the principles of persuasive technology design, which supports children with ASD with social and life skills functioning – areas of ability which tend to be impaired in this population. The software application has been piloted in four special schools for children with ASD. This paper reports on a qualitative interpretivist evaluation, which explores which factors may mediate how the software application is incorporated in to existing practice and what influence it has on practice. Kairos is identified as a key factor, which is associated with the teachers’ view of the software application as extending their reach beyond the classroom. Design guidelines are proposed for future implementations of similarly purposed technology tools.

► We tested a mobile app to develop social and life skills in children with ASD.
► Qualitative analysis shows that Kairos is a key design concept for such apps.
► User attachment, source credibility, and focus on home contexts frame Kairos.
► Derived design principles can apply to other groups with SEN such as ADHD.