Behavioral Interventions Through Computational Tools
Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by repetitive and stereotyped behavior, difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication and social behavior. The causes of ASD are still unknown, however, the sooner identified, the sooner an intervention can begin and give the child more autonomy. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) refers to behavioral science, based on the principles of experimental behavior analysis and presents the best results for neurodevelopmental disorders. ABA consists of evaluating and intervening, through the teaching of specific behaviors that involve different areas of child development. For each child, it is necessary that a professional - a behavior analyst - make an assessment to verify their development and intervene with a specific teaching program.Currently, there are several software to assist in the application of ABA, however, with little (or no) flexibility in customizing the teaching program - they only allow selecting images that will be used in activities already defined. In this way, the professional must use pre-defined activities, making it impossible to create a specific teaching program for each student.This work presents the design and implementation of software for special education based on ABA. The software allows behavioral analysis professionals to create personalized activities based on templates that already exist in the software, in addition to allowing the creation of their own templates, without the need for prior knowledge of computer programming. The software has multimedia support, which allows to use images, texts, audio and video as stimuli in the activities. It is also possible to create profiles for students, configure teaching programs with customized rewards and corrections and view reports. The software was implemented on a web platform with responsive design adjustable to different screen sizes, devices, browsers and operating systems.To validate the acceptance of the software, evaluations were carried out with behavioral professionals and also with mothers of students with special needs. Both professionals and mothers evaluated the software positively and said they would use it in future interventions: professionals to create teaching programs, and parents as a tool to teach their children. During the social isolation of Covid-19, the software was inserted into everyday use, being incorporated into the workflow of behavioral analysts and educators.At the end of the work, I present the findings of this study, its limitations, as well as future works.