FALPS (Fabulous Autistic Logical Programming Software Ltd) have approached me and have asked to design a system created in visual studio 2008 which will assist Autistic children improve their ways of interacting and communicating. They have told me Autistic children have difficulty communicating and talking with other children. These children like to isolate them self’s from others or they like to interact by them self’s with objects relating to them. FALPS have told me to look at methods of interaction which I can incorporate within a new design in visual studio 2008 that would benefit Autistic children.
INTERESTS
This idea has interested me in many ways, the first is I want to know how these kids interact with real world situations, what makes them interested in the things they do? Questions that are challenging and inspirational and hard to approach were my main common interest in this field of study. I want to design a product for FALPS that puts my abilities to a test and has a successful end after all the work has been put into it. Something as challenging as this will enable me to think outside the box, the scope of this study is vast which gives me lots of ideas to incorporate within the design and the development of the product.
AIM/OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
The aim of the project is to deliver a product which addresses the problems of autistic children. The product which I am hoping to create should be the first step of achieving this goal. It should allow the children with this sort of condition to interact and be playful with their peers as well as their family members.
PROBLEMS TO ADDRESS
FALPS have stated that their current software selection on the market is not doing all that it should for the children, and they need new software developers that specialise in Visual studio 2008 since many of their pervious developers have completed their contracts and have moved on. FALPS need a new product that can assist the needs for Autism while providing fun and entertainment. They also said that they have many software packages that try to assist the needs for Autistic children. But many of their software packages have failed and have cost the company money. The company have always been trying new methods of interaction and have not succeeded in some cases and when they do achieve their goals the product does not last long as it is forgotten.
This is why they called me to design a product that will address the following Symptoms:
• Getting aggravated on loud sounds
• Failure to develop appropriate peer relationships.
• Disinclination to spontaneously share enjoyment with others.
• Inability to carry a conversation (in those children with language skills).
• Repetitive behaviours, interests and activities.
• Abnormally intense or focused patterns of interest (in others, activities, etc.).
• Movement of their hands and fingers
At the end of the project I am hoping that all these problems are addressed with the game that I will be creating.
PRODUCT SCENARIO
I will be using the symptoms as a guide when creating this product in visual studio 2008. The product should be able assist the symptoms, and result the child/children to interact with the program. The design plan of the system will be a maze like game which allows the child to navigate the mouse through a series of tunnels. When the child reaches the end of the maze, the program will continue to a harder level of the pervious maze, with moving animations as obstacles to avoid. This will not only stimulate the child’s mind but allow new means of controlling the mouse as the child/children have to think on how to reach the objective rather than following the maze as the object of the previous level was to just to escape.
The finalised product will have a working game with different levels of difficulty allowing the child to play at their own level and time. The product will be aimed at autistic children, which I am hoping will