BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disorder with increasing prevalence rates. People affected by ASD do often need support in various activities of daily living mainly provided by formal or informal caregivers. Assistive technology can help to increase autonomy and safety of people on the autism spectrum and thus decrease the burden of care. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the state of the art of assistive technology (AT) that supports autonomy, self-reliance comfort and wellbeing of people with ASD or aiming to prevent dangerous situations or shutdowns, caused by stressful (environmental) situations. Another aim is to analyze the fields of application and type of the proposed technologies and to explore the evaluations conducted. METHODS: A scoping review was carried out where the databases MEDLINE, IEEE and ACM Digital Library were searched. The identified articles were grouped according to the objective of the technology – the supported area of life that is assisted by the proposed systems. Furthermore, the conducted evaluations of the ATs in the papers were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 40 articles were included in this review with a balanced distribution in the different fields of application (Communication & Social Life; Daily Living Assistants; Safety & Security). Eighteen studies conducted an evaluation of the proposed technology with people with ASD, mainly testing the functionality of the systems. CONCLUSION: The proposed technologies support people in the autism spectrum according to the main outcomes and symptoms of ASD. Further research is needed to determine the usefulness and acceptance of the ATs.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses increased over the last decades, as reviews show comparing prevalence rates reported from different studies. Due to different effects of the disorder, personal support is required and provided by formal and/or informal caregivers in various activities of daily living. With the help of a customized smart home and interior design concept the aim is to enable people with ASD to live a more independent and self-reliant life. Following a participatory research approach, the end users are involved in the context of use and requirements definition, concept development, and later also in the implementation, and evaluation process. The solution shall assist end users in performing activities of daily living. The outcome of the work at hand is a set of modular functionalities (sensors, actuators, interior design solutions) to be integrated in a living environment specifically designed for people with ASD.

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Background The Austria-Slovenian project REHA2030, with a broad spectrum of expertise, was focused on making the process of telerehabilitation (TR) possible as valuable user-centred post-clinical rehabilitation of stroke patients in rural areas. Health-related factors, impairments, and environmental and demographic factors influence the patients´ suitability for stroke TR interventions and serve as possible risk factors for patients´ non-adherence or drop-out. The REHA2030 Assessment aimed to identify barriers and resources that should be considered to enable people to participate in TR according to the REHA2030 approach. For that, a structured questionnaire, the “REHA Assessment”, with 88 items, was developed and conducted by therapists about 160 stroke survivors in two rehabilitation clinics. The effect of the 87 characteristics on suitability was statistically analysed using parametric and non-parametric tests. Results Twenty-five main personal and environmental characteristics significantly influencing TR's suitability in stroke patients were identified. Significant factors differences between participants ranked as suitable or not suitable for TR were short-term memory, motivation, visual and hearing abilities, and the ambulation scale. Furthermore, the ability to use technology (self-tech knowledge), daily phone or tablet use, and the general willingness to participate in the therapy were considered. The living situation (housing) and their independence in performing daily tasks such as eating (grooming, dressing, and use of toilet also influence the suitability of the participants. Another essential variable to indicate suitability is compliance. Conclusions Analysis of the study results showed cognitive abilities, visual and hearing abilities, compliance and willingness to participate in the therapy, together with the knowledge of using technology, as the most enabling factors influencing the suitability for TR in stroke patients in chronic stage. Additionally, the patients´ compliance depends on intrinsic motivation to participate in the REHA2030 TR system, which could be supported by increasing proficiency in digital technologies. In the deliberations of TR assessment, the acquired knowledge from the presented study should be considered with caution to limitations of the research data representing personal views of therapists on the patient´s suitability for REHA2030 TR.