Alicante, Spain – A new computer program geared towards aiding those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to read and understand written material has recently been developed at the University of Alicante.
The development of the tool, which was undertaken as a project in centres in the UK, Spain and Bulgaria, has been designed to enable individuals on the spectrum to accurately interpret written language. The program, aptly named “Open Book”, was created after developers saw the need for an advanced piece of software that could help those with autism understand complex and abstract concepts in documents.
Because many on the spectrum have difficulty deciphering figures of speech, imagery and certain verbs, Open Book has the potential to aid those who utilize it to understand the subtler, more complex ideas expressed in the documents that they read. As a result, users can also potentially improve their social, communication and interpersonal skills through their increased understanding of the concepts interpreted courtesy of the computer program.
While Open Book is primarily geared towards helping those with ASD, developers assert that it can also aid those who have learning disabilities and are elderly or are functionally illiterate as well.
The program is currently available in English, Spanish and Bulgarian.