Wow, so it works?! Background, development, and features of the DATA system

Abstract

The Digital Autonomy Support in the Autism Spectrum (DATA) system and services are designed to support the daily living skills and autonomy of autistic individuals. The system was developed by a research and development consortium of the Hungarian National Autism Society and the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Needs Education, funded by an EFOP grant from the European Union and the Hungarian government.

The main components of the system are a mobile application, designed to be used by autistic individuals to support and increase their autonomy and independence, and a web-based „content management system” for creating the individualized assistive-educational contents, which synchronize over to the application. The DATA system was designed and developed, using evidence-based comprehensive autism- specific psycho-educational methodologies, with a focus on visual supports. The system provides ample scope for individualization through its many functions and tools, making it widely applicable across the autism spectrum, relatively regardless of age and ability profile.

In this paper, we present the scientific and methodological background behind the development of the system, the development process, the main functions and uses of DATA, and some practical examples.

Keywords: autism, digital support, autonomy, DATA