Picard discussed wireless wristbands whose sensors measure the electricity being conducted through the skin to determine the state of the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the fight-or-flight response in humans. These wristbands show, in real time, the levels of emotional stress and arousal of individuals whose appearance on the outside may differ from what they’re feeling inside. She also revealed a newly discovered benefit: The wristbands may accurately alert others to early signs of severe seizures in children. Data collected from the sensors showed that seizures can be preceded by huge spikes in skin conductance arousal. More than 25 percent of kids with ASD have seizures, said Picard.

Picard then talked about how the sensors can test the depth of sleep and sleep patterns of children with autism – an important issue, as more than half of parents report that their kids on the spectrum have sleep problems, she said. The wristbands measure the arousal kids have while trying to fall asleep and the level they have in deep sleep.

Picard also touched on other types of technology being developed in her lab, including how researchers are teaching computers to read the expressions on peoples’ faces, such as those indicating concentration, disagreement and confusion. This technology could eventually go a long way toward helping people with autism spectrum disorders better process the emotions of themselves and others.

About Rosalind Picard, ScD:
Professor Rosalind W. Picard, Sc.D. is leader of the Autism & Communication Technology Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), founder and director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the MIT Media Laboratory, and co-director of the Things That Think Consortium, the largest industrial sponsorship organization at the lab . She is co-founder, chief scientist and chairman of Affectiva, Inc., which makes technology to measure and communicate emotion. Picard holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and master’s and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT. She joined the MIT Media Lab faculty in 1991.

Tristan is a high school basketball player who scores big, both on the court and at home.

Teen Ben Cousins overcomes sensory issues to become a successful and hardworking wrestler.

It is with great excitement that KiDA welcomes Rosalind Picard ScD, of the MIT Media Lab, on Friday, May 11 from 1:30 to 2:30pm. Dr. Picard’s presentation, which is the third in KiDA’s Innovation Series, is titled, Advances in Personalized Technology for Autism, Emotion, Sleep, and Seizures. Not only will parents and professionals learn about the latest breakthroughs in technology for people with autism, they will also have the chance to see demonstrations and learn about future directions. A brief question and answer session will be held at the end of the talk. Space is very limited for this event; click here to register online. For more information about KiDA’s Innovation Series and to view clips from past presentations, click here.

About Rosalind Picard ScD:
Professor Rosalind W. Picard, Sc.D. is leader of the new and growing Autism & Communication Technology Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), founder and director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the MIT Media Laboratory, and co-director of the Things That Think Consortium, the largest industrial sponsorship organization at the lab . She is co-founder, chief scientist and chairman of Affectiva, Inc., making technology to help measure and communicate emotion.

Picard holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and master’s and doctorate degrees, both in electrical engineering and computer science, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1991 she joined the MIT Media Lab faculty. Picard has been awarded dozens of distinguished and named lectureships internationally and in 2005 was honored as a Fellow of the IEEE for contributions to image and video analysis and affective computing. She is a popular keynote speaker, and her group’s achievements have been featured in forums for the general public such as The New York Times, The London Independent, National Public Radio, Scientific American Frontiers, ABC’s Nightline and World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Time, Vogue, Wired, Voice of America Radio, New Scientist, and BBC’s “The Works” and “The Big Byte.” Picard lives in Newton, Massachusetts with her husband and three energetic sons.

But don’t worry: Shane, who researches apps, software and video to enhance learning, did spend plenty of time discussing apps that can help boost spoken language (see some of his suggestions, below), including a couple of his own being developed now. Shane is creating technology that builds comprehension of verbs, prepositions and nouns. One app, called Puddingstone Place, is an interactive virtual environment that uses household objects, along with sounds, text and animation. Another, Symbol Talk, is a customizable question-and-answer tool with voice recognition and graphics.

Shane also touched on his research into video modeling and two-way conferencing via Skype, where an instructor uses video to teach difficult skills, such as saying “thank you” when given a meal or learning to place an object “on,” “beside” or “in” something else. His conclusion: When kids with autism watch the activities on electronic media — their preferred form of entertainment anyway — their learning improves. For many, the visual can lead to spoken language.

*Apps mentioned during Shane’s presentation, available on iTunes:
1) My PlayHome (by Shimon Young; $3.99)
2) Pogg (by Ricky Vuckovic; $0.99)
3) Toca Hair Salon (by Toca Boca; $1.99)
4) Arnie, Trick Goldfish (by Uptown Arts; $1.99)

Howard Shane is Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center for Communication Enhancement and the Autism Language Program at Children¹s Hospital Boston.

[SinglePic not found]KiDA’s Innovation Series is really moving along now with the second presentation of the exclusive series by renowned autism researcher Howard Shane PhD on April 19. “Technology Solutions to Teach Language and Enable Communication” will introduce parents and professionals to advancements to accelerate communication and learning for kids with autism, including some of the latest apps and other technology-based devices.

Shane, a speech-language pathology specialist who specializes in the development of visual language systems to enhance spoken language, says that his research has shown that children on the spectrum tend to be extremely interested in electronic media – computers, tablets and video – and that’s why he’s taking advantage of such technology in his efforts to teach language and communication.

In his presentation, Shane will highlight a few topics:
• Software he has been creating with his team that teaches language skills
• His soon-to-be-released Puddingstone Learning Adventure, a virtual learning environment
• Specific apps for the iPad that use unique and distinct features to help children on the spectrum with their communication
• His research on two-way video modeling, in which an instructor teaches via a computer screen as opposed to using a direct, face-to-face approach to enhance learning

“Communication is at the heart of learning, and it’s important for parents to try to improve their children’s communication and learning through what technology offers us now. And there’s no question that their children will likely be very, very interested in this kind of technology,” says Shane.

Howard Shane is Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center for Communication Enhancement and the Autism Language Program at Children¹s Hospital Boston.

Event Details:
Thursday, April 19, 2012 11:45am-1:00pm
$20 fee includes lunch
Space is extremely limited – register today!
To RSVP, click here to register online or call (949) 222-2214.