Development and evaluation of a mobile app to assist people with autism and intellectual disability to engage in social conversation

The social relationships and interactions of people who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) are negatively affected by their communication and cognitive difficulties. Difficulty in developing relationships can increase social isolation and affect mental health. This paper describes the development of a prototype mobile smartphone app designed to provide access to a range of conversational communicative acts for adults with ASD and ID. The app was designed to promote a ‘no-failure’ approach to participation in a simple conversation. It was evaluated with a group of people with ASD and ID.