Abstract:

According to most research studies on the negative effects on the autistic community, and in anticipation of the pandemic spreading over time (or new similar situations arising in the near future), there is an urgent need to address the need to design/reinvent the provision of educational services using online/virtual tools. Early observations (Narzisi, 2020) on already developed online care initiatives showed that communication and cognitive difficulties of people with higher support needs are an additional barrier to an effective implementation of online support. These barriers in accessing digital technologies are mainly caused by the lack of accessible tools; lack of skills (teachers, people with disabilities and their families); poorly adapted educational methodologies; and few technological resources. More specifically, digital tools are often designed for the general population without taking into account the needs of autistic people with lower cognitive levels.

The European IDEAL (Inclusive Digital Education for Autistic People Learning) Project (ref. KA220-VET97F54FA7) is funded since 2022 by SEPIE.

The initial core brought together the University of Burgos, as well as the Miradas Foundation (Spain), Fondacija hiljadu želja (Serbia) and FPDA-Portuguese Federation for Autism (Portugal) as providers of assistance, protection and vocational training for people with spectrum disorder.

A literature search has been carried out with the Pud-Med database with a result of 53 relevant studies with the keywords: App, Assisted technology and Autism Spectrum disorder on which the research study oriented to the identification and analysis of the needs of the target group will be structured.

The results showed the difficulties in relation to the confinement situation and the challenge faced by autistic people and their families, highlighting greater difficulties in managing activities of daily living, higher levels of family stress and an increase in behavioural problems.

The aim of the project and around which the IOs of the project are structured, will be to eliminate the digital divide suffered by autistic people with lower cognitive level in VET contexts, to facilitate autonomous and equal access to digital technologies that ensure the continuity of their educational processes and their social and personal development, even in situations of confinement. As a result, a Learning Management System (LMS) will be developed through a platform, following the accessibility requirements for autistic students in VET contexts. Moreover, educational methodologies will be designed to evaluate different digital tools according to their usefulness for students with autism, in a personalised way for each individual development and in digital format.

Keywords:

Autism, digital learning, resources.