孤独症：新PDA软件帮助儿童交流

Granada大学跨学科的一个研究团队专门为患孤独症、唐氏综合症、脑瘫的年轻病人研发了一种的交流软件。

这个新系统名叫SC@UT，是一种增强性、适应性的交流系统。此系统是由西班牙Granada大学生理学家、心理教师和语音治疗师共同发明的并由José Juan Cañas Delgado教授作为带头人。他是实验心理学和行为生理学教研室的生物工程学教授。

“这个项目是由Andalusia政府促进完成的，试图减低残疾人和正常人间的差异，” Delgado教授说，“我们发明的这个工具可以帮助残疾病人与他们周围的环境交互。以这种方式，他们接受这个充满障碍世界的能力将变得非常容易。对于现今的世界来说，社交和劳动是缺少不了交流和教育。”

SC@UT的功能非常简单：通过个人电脑或个人数字助理(PDA)，家长和教师可以从大学的网站下载免费的特定软件。之后，该装置就会成为孩子和社会间交流的工具。归功于SC@UT项目，孩子可以表达上厕所或吃饭的愿望，以及诸如快乐、悲伤或疲倦。SC@UT包括一个翻译装置，可将使用者的要求转换后供收听者识别。

Delgado表示当交流增强的时候，残疾儿童的分裂性行为将减少。作为结果，使用此系统后会消除孤独症病人的进攻性。“他们中间的很多人自我伤残并表现出进攻性的行为主要是由于这些病人不能和其他人很好地沟通。”

此时，对此项目的初始研究正在西班牙南部的16个学校展开。 
 

Autism: New PDA Software Helps Children Communicate

An interdisciplinary research team at the University of Granada has developed a new communication software for young patients with autism, down syndrome, or cerebral palsy.The new system’s name is SC@UT, which stands for Augmentative and Adaptive Communication System. It has been created by a team of psychologists, psycho-pedagogues, and speech therapists at the University of Granada in Spain, headed by professor José Juan Cañas Delgado. He is lecturer of Ergonomics of the department of Experimental Psychology and Behavioural Physiology. 

“This is a project promoted by the Regional Government of Andalusia which attempts to reduce differences between disabled and non-disabled people”, states Delgado. ”We have created a configurable parameter tool that allows disabled people to interact with their environment. In this way, their adaptation to a world full of barriers is much easier. In the present world, social and labour integration is impossible without communication and access to education.” 

The functioning of SC@UT is easy: through a PC or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) parents or tutors can download the specific software from the university’s website for free. After this, the device is ready to be used as a means of communication between the child and society. Thanks to the SC@UT project, the child can express such needs as going to the toilet or hunger, as well as such states as being happy, sad, or tired. SC@UT includes a speaker which transmits the “user’s comments” to the listener. 

Delgado states that when communication improves, disruptive behaviour in disabled children decreases. Consequently, the use of that display could also diminish aggressiveness in autistic children. “Many of them injure themselves and present aggressive behaviour because they become frustrated when they cannot communicate with others." 

At the moment, this initiative has started to work as a pioneering project in 16 schools of the Southern Spanich provinces of Granada and Jaen.