@article {3034,
	title = {iCAN: A tablet-based pedagogical system for improving communication Skills of children with autism},
	journal = {International Journal of Human-Computer Studies},
	volume = {73},
	year = {2014},
	note = {This study improved the traditional pedagogical approach for teaching communication skills to children with autism by incorporiting digital technology. Specifically, the researchers incorporated the traditional PECS approach into a tablet-based system in order to make the approach portable and less time-consuming. Eleven children and their caregivers were invitedd to test the new system during a period of four weeks. Results showed that the system reduced the content-preparation time by 70\%. It also improved childrens{\textquoteright} willingness to learn and interact with the system.},
	pages = {79-90},
	publisher = {Elsevier},
	abstract = {The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is the conventional pedagogical approach for developing the communication skills of children with autism, and research has supported the approach{\textquoteright}s great effectiveness in its communicative utilization of picture cards. Unfortunately, the paper-based approach{\textquoteright}s effectiveness is hampered by the time-consuming and complex preparation process of manually creating and managing these picture cards for use between the children and their caregivers. This paper presents iCAN, a tablet-based system that adopts the successful aspects of the traditional PECS approach while incorporating advantageous features such as support for digital, visualization, and voice capabilities; improved portability due to its smaller form factor on a tablet; and image-capturing capabilities for expanding the flexibility of content creation. We deployed our system onto eleven children participants {\textendash} whom are diagnosed with moderate to severe autism {\textendash} and their primary caregivers over a span of four weeks, and our results demonstrated that iCAN reduced content-preparation time by over 70\% while also enhancing the willingness of children with autism to learn and interact with others.},
	keywords = {assistive technology, Autism, Interface design, software applications},
	issn = {1071-5819 (Print)},
	doi = {10.1016/j.ijhcs.2014.06.001},
	url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S107158191400086X},
	author = {Miao-En Chien and Cyun-Meng Jheng and Ni-Miao Lin and Tang, Hsien-Hui and Taele, Paul P. and Tseng, Wen-Sheng and Mike Y. Chen}
}
