NICE's guidelines for detection and treatment of adults with ASD

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), UK has published the first guidelines for detection and treatment of adults with ASD. Among other things, the document acknowledges the importance of assisted communication and recommends:

  • more concrete and structured approach with a greater use of written and visual information (which may include worksheets, thought bubbles, images and 'tool boxes')
  • making rules explicit and explaining their context
  • using plain English and avoiding excessive use of metaphor, ambiguity and hypothetical situations.

The full guidelines are available at: http://publications.nice.org.uk/autism-recognition-referral-diagnosis-and-management-of-adults-on-the-autism-spectrum-cg142

The FIRST project will be presented at the Technologies for Autism Conference, Valencia, July 6-8

The FIRST project will be presented at the 'Technology for Autism: Tools, Trends and Testimonials Conference' in Valencia on July 6 to 8, 2012. 

 

This conference will include the latest research in the field of autism and technology, as well as demonstrations of new products. It will also provide an opportunity for parents and people with autism to come together with researchers and software developers and network, give feedback and participate in a forum to discuss the future of the field.

 

The FIRST project will be presented at NLP4ITA workshop

Researchers involved in the FIRST project are presenting papers at the Natural Language Processing for Improving Textual Accessibility (NLP4ITA) workshop organised in conjunction with the Language Resources and Evaluation Conference (LREC 2012) in Istanbul in May 2012. The focus of the workshop is on tools and resources for making textual information more accessible to people with special needs. Prof. Mitkov, the coordinator of the FIRST project, is the invited speaker of the workshop and his presentation will focus on the FIRST project. 

World Autism Awareness Day, April 2, 2012

This week marked the fifth annual World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. WAAD

World Autism Awareness Day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly five years ago as an annual day to draw attention to the urgent needs of people with autism around the world.

Autism is extremely common. Approximately 1 in 150 people have it . Yet it is a condition that is very often misunderstood and many people with autism across Europe still lack basic access to accurate diagnosis, appropriate treatment, education, employment and social inclusion.

For 5 million people in Europe who have autism, greater awareness is urgently required to enable them to live up to their full potential.

Listen to the UN Secretary General's message for WAAD 2012

Official start of the FIRST project

We are pleased to announce that the FIRST project has officially started. This website will be updated with the latest information regarding the project. Please visit again soon.

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