ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF APPLICATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD)

Abstract

The development of IT technologies and its increased implementation in activities involving people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have led to a great number of specialised applications, most of which having been designed for world languages speakers, such as English and Spanish. Although these applications cover great many purposes, from educational and developmental, over specific ones, to leisure time and free activities, there have been few research concerning the assessment of their features. For that reason, this paper aims at determining the quality of applications intended for individuals affected by ASD, enlarging the scope of browsing from English to languages spoken in the region of the former Yugoslavia. By means of selected keywords in English, Serbian, and Croatian, 33 applications have been identified, primarily on the Google Play digital platform. All the aforementioned applications have been assessed using the System of Indicators for Evaluation of Applications intended for ASD-affected people. The results gained reveal significant heterogeneity as regards the quality of applications selected, as well as the fact that the pedagogical aspects of such applications are rated lower than their contents and design. The applications earning the highest rate have emerged within the same research project, based on collaboration of the academia, business entities, and civic society organisations.