a software developed by students at the University of Brasilia has aided in the digital and social inclusion of autistic classics to help them in identifying facial expressions. The dozens of photos and videos with Asians, whites, blacks, people of different ages and representatives of both sexes – bring reproductions of smiles, tears, anger and fear. The download tool is free and available for tablets with Android operating system.
“Schools are still learning to deal with autism. Families are hungry for resources, anything that can help,” explains guiding the project, Professor Wilson Veneziano. “The goal is to work facial expressions. This is different from feelings. We can not talk about feelings, in the case of autism, because we do not know what goes on in his mind. The fact that he learn to play an expression of smile does not mean that he learned to interpret it as happiness. “
According to Veneziano, the idea of working with so many images for four expressions has to do with the difficulty that autistic children have to do to implement what they see and they tend to the literalness. One of the syndrome features is the difficulty, even impossibility of abstraction.
“Usually autistic children have a tendency not to express [feelings]. They have difficulty interpreting facial expressions and also to express them. the face is always the same. Working society’s increasing inclusion it increases social interaction, “he adds.
the development of the Express software took a year and a half. Children, youth and adults from public tested the tool. Having the program as completion of course work in computer science, Diego André Santos says that thought imagined that the development was easier than imagined.
“I have never had experience with the piece of disability and special education, but as it was passing [time] I saw it was possible. I was very satisfied with the result, including the teachers gave feedback to us about the use of the tool in school, have a very positive outlook, “he says.
he says he has a cousin with Down syndrome who see the difficulties he has with socialization. “This software helps people to live together in a better way in society. Learning to recognize the expressions, if the person is happy or sad, it’s certainly important for them to be included. I see him [my cousin] has difficulties in some things, so I think it is essential that these new technologies are used to it. “
the project was developed in partnership with UnBTV, who produced the videos used in the program. The other student involved in the Express, Wellington Souza says that the biggest challenge was to take the position of the person with autism. He says he learned a lot during the search and issue of deepening process.
“I always had in mind to do something that was productive, useful, not only for me but for other people too,” he adds. “I always believed that technology can and should help education go hand in hand the two, especially in such a noble branch as autism.”
In practice
> Professor of public and expert on autism, Mara Rubia Martins says that the Express contributes to the interactions made by children and young people who have the syndrome at greater degree of commitment. “The social gain is substantial because the student understands the meaning of facial expressions, which facilitates communication, thus promoting social inclusion.”
The Express was developed within a project aimed at people with disabilities intellectual. Other software, created over the past six years, are Participating (literacy), Somar (social applicability of mathematics) and Zoom (gestures). The programs are used by thousands of Brazilian public schools, the network Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional Children (APAE) and institutions of Portugal and Angola.
Registry Data Education show that in 2015, 8 thousand students of the DF had some intellectual disability. Cases within the autistic spectrum totaled 1.5000. In all, the public had 470,000 students.
No comments:
Post a Comment