Over the past couple of weeks I've had a lot of queries about whether and how Smart Home Tech can be used to help people living with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). From my research and speaking with experts in the area there are two main areas in which Smart Home Tech can make a positive difference for people and families with ASD.
Sensory Inputs
The experts on ASD that I have spoken to (and I certainly don’t claim to be an expert in this area!) suggest that the ability to control and integrate sensory stimuli can be therapeutic for people living with ASD.
For example, the ability for a person with ASD to be able to control the lighting (colour, intensity flashing effects etc) to either stimulate or calm the senses.
This is relatively simple to do with “off the shelf” technology we use which is available from suppliers such as Officeworks or JB Hi Fi.
Similarly, the ability to control auditory stimuli to calm or stimulate is obviously also important.
I have been told that some people with ASD are calmed by music playing specifically at 60 beats per minute. Others may find forest noises, white noise or waves calming.
For the purposes of auditory stimulation (including feeling the vibrations from bass sounds) faster or louder music may be more appropriate.
With a simple combination of some smart lights, a home hub (Google Home/Alexa/Apple HomeKit) and a speaker it is not complex – or expensive – to create a simple sensory room.
You Must Remember This!
Another area which may help people or families living with ASD is the ability to use smart home tech to support memory and attention and to help manage anxiety.
Here are some of the ways in which Smart Home Tech can be used to support the Cognitive and Communication impacts often present for people living with ASD.
Thanks for listening!
Gregan
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