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Running head: PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED WORK/THERAPY PROGRAM

Practical Implications of Technology-Based Work/Therapy Programs

for Children and Teens with Autism

Austin Malcolm

Arizona State University

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PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED WORK/THERAPY PROGRAM

Practical Implications of Technology-Based Work/Therapy Programs

for Children and Teens with Autism

Practical Implications

Background

Can 3D-technology be used to enhance therapy for children with autism and help adults

with autism become more employable? Employers and business owners will always want skilled,

eager and able-bodied individuals to work for them. What is counter-intuitive to this notion is

that there is a large (and growing) workforce of citizens that are more than capable of stellar

work, but for multiple reasons are not given the fair opportunity. The neglected portion of the

workforce described refers to adults with autism. Each year, more and more moderate- and high-

functioning individuals with autism are graduating from secondary education settings with few

options thereafter. In recent studies it has been recorded that over half of the students with

Autism Spectrum Disorder that graduate high school are not able to obtain employment,

regardless of the individuals intellectual ability or post-secondary education (Shireman, Lerman,

Hillman, 2016).

For students in the general population, finding a job after high school seems as logical

and expected as the answer to two plus two. For students with autism, leaving the resources and

comfort that schools provide can be terrifying all on its own. However, if those students with

autism are not able to acquire the necessary life skills by the time they graduate, employment

seems all but impossible, leaving few options but to continue living at home with their family.

The biggest challenges facing older students with autism and finding employment lies in the

difficulty of finding a job relevant to their intense interest, while also finding quality training and

open-minded employers thereafter. For this reason, this proposal is being put forward to initiate a
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PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED WORK/THERAPY PROGRAM

vocational training/service program that would aim for an end goal of a small-business run by

people with autism creating useful products for children with autism.

(http://malcolmppe310.weebly.com/)

Program Description

Using a variety of cutting-edge technologies such as 3D-printers, scanners, modeling-

software and laser-cutters, this program looks to exploit the upcoming job market revolving

around 3D-printed objects. This program centers closely around 3D-printing technology because

of its versatility towards other career fields, as well as the modeling process being a natural fit

for people with autism due to their visual-learning styles. Modern autism therapy and

intervention methods involve the use of personal reinforcers (objects of obsession used to

motivate students with autism towards appropriate or target behaviors) and are utilized in token-

economy systems as a method of positive encouragement and accelerated development (Charlop-

Christy & Haymes, 1996). With this principle in mind, 3D-printing technology can be used to

create and develop customized, personalized reinforcers tailored specifically towards each child

using input and observations from the student, their parents and their educators (Carr, Nicolson

& Higbee, 2000). In this context, the community to support this program will involve students

(both the young being served and the teenagers producing the products), administrators to track

the progress and funding of their program, as well as by receiving positive, enthusiastic

responses teachers and parents to bridge the recognition of student efforts between home and

school.

Marketing

One of the first major assets to the kickstart of this program will be to choose a name. By

giving a permanent title to our program, it will greatly improve our success towards marketing
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PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED WORK/THERAPY PROGRAM

and acquiring funding from outside sources. In order to continue the spirit of inclusion that the

program evokes, the name would best be chosen as a collective effort by members of the autism

community and should be organized by the programs committee (see below).

In the beginning of the program, advertisements with the programs name will be posted

around campus and to relevant or partnerships regarding autism research/therapy/awareness.

These initial posters will be used as a way to introduce the concept of 3D-printed therapy

services, as well as spark an interest in students who are naturally fond of technology, computers

or design (Wright, Wright, Diener, Rafferty & Sampson, 2017). Later, advertisements will be

used and directed more as recruitment for additional students to enter the program and continue

to educate the community on our resources. Visual marketing will be bright and engaging to

reflect the personalities of the students involved and may include example images to showcase

our students capabilities and talent.

Funding

Much of the equipment and continued costs relevant to 3D-printing revolves around

actual printing technology and the computers to design the products. While 3D-printing

machines can start for as low as a few hundred to a few thousand dollars for a personal use

model, machines that are capable and intended for faster production in commercial cost

anywhere up to $250,000. Factoring in costs for the prerequisite technologies, a major source of

funding will have to come from grants or extremely generous donations. Funding from

government grants will be sought after and applications will be submitted, but this cant be a sole

source of funding (Southall, 2013). While fundraising may be an engaging opportunity for

students to raise money in their community, it would take them several lifetimes in order achieve

the level of funding that we require from local, small fundraising events alone. Total acquisition
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PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED WORK/THERAPY PROGRAM

of finances for low-range equipment could be achievable in 6 months to a year, and commercial

level equipment may be an achievable goal in 4 to 5 years with proper planning and effective

implementation.

Committee

Students enrolled in program should participate in a committee about our 3D-printing

program alongside administrators and teachers relevant to students lives. This regularly

scheduled gathering can be used as 1) a way to track the progresses, changes, deficiencies and

improvements made within the program, and 2) a way to track the changes within each

individual student in conjunction with their established IEPs. Additionally, committee may be

responsible for organizing activities or events directly related to the programs reputation or

identity, such as helping to select a name for the program or its logo design. Parents may also

choose to be involved, although the committee will most likely meet during the school/work day.

Engagement

The children with autism receiving services from this program will have direct influence

and ownership of the reinforcement tools they because they will be vital agents in the design

process, especially considering the reinforcements are meant to keep the child satiated towards

obsessions (Charlop-Christy & Haymes, 1996). Transition-aged students enrolled in the program

will receive thorough training and continued support as they master relevant key skills and

eventually move on to help produce the 3D printed products and becoming part of the business-

side of the program. Students enrolled in the program will also be motivated and engaged by the

relevancy of the skills and by the personal investment they make towards becoming more

employable (Wright, Wright, Diener, Rafferty & Sampson, 2017).

Educational Components
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PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED WORK/THERAPY PROGRAM

Students enrolled in program will receive training relevant to the skills necessary to the

roles that encompass this program. Teachers and staff will be on-hand to assist, but the

technology-educator will be lead in this situation. Classes and skills will cover basic computer

usage, intro and intermediate lessons in 3D-modeling, as well as an in-depth look at the

construction, operation and troubleshooting involved with the 3D printers and printing process.

Students will also be encouraged regularly to indirectly educate their family members in this

technology in order to further sharpen their comprehension of the concepts introduced.

Recognition

Students enrolled in program will be recognized for their efforts by logging in their

education progress into a digital portfolio, as well as documenting any finished products they

produce. Additionally, students that produce functional products may integrate a signature-based

marking to their products as a more emotional gesture. Faculty and educators may also include

updates and products created by the program to any relevant newsletter, community board or

similarly appropriate announcement. Within this program, there are many ways to show

recognition towards the students and, subsequently, the program.

Conclusion

This program is designed, from beginning to end, with people with autism at the forefront

of every consideration. Should this plan be implemented and executed properly, the end result

several years later may be a small team of adults with autism designing and printing enjoyable

therapy tools for youngsters with autism, while also helping to train teenagers and young adults

with autism how to use the same technology that gave them a chance at success. Not only is this

program idea innovative and ties naturally to the common interests of younger people with

autism, real-world programs similar to this are already being tried. In Maricopa County, a small
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PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED WORK/THERAPY PROGRAM

off-branch of Hacienda Healthcares autism Technology Integration Program (TIP) quickly

became a center of inspiration for many adults with autism by offering to teach them skills

related to 3D-printing, laser-cutting, robotics and phone repair (MacDonald-Evoy, 2017). This

programs success shows that it is more that possible for a program such as the one explained in

this paper to provide life-long, employable skills and assets to people with autism, which helps

them become independent and integrates them into the work-force of the general population.

It should be noted, however, that the Haciendas technology program is currently on

hiatus. As recently as November 15th, 2017, a community-based, open-to-the-public technology

center that TIP relied upon filed for foreclosure and has left the program with much fewer

resources and no location from which to suitably operate (Hechanova, 2017). This sounds

disparaging, but in fact it should be interpreted as a learning opportunity for this program, in that

the programs model is more than functional, but it will be necessary to secure funding and

independently own the required equipment and workspace.

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References

Carr, J.E., Nicolson, A.C. & Higbee, T.S. (2000) Evaluation of a Brief Multiple-Stimulus Preference

Assessment in a Naturalistic Context. Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. Retrieved from

https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/pmc/articles/PMC1284262/

Charlop-Christy, M.H. & Haymes, L.K. (1996). Using Obsessions as Reinforcers With and Without

Mild Reductive Procedures to Decrease Inappropriate Behaviors of Children with Autism.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26(5), 527-546. Retrieved from

https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/41559135/Using_obsessions_as_reinforcers

_with_and20160125-25145-

1bcv7hv.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1509504982&Sign

ature=oqBWzCSPOlxisWfzgBv9%2FjqH9cc%3D&response-content-

disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DUsing_obsessions_as_reinforcers_with_and.pdf

Hechanova, M. (2017, November 15). TechShop suddenly shuts down in Chandler. AZ Family.

Retrieved from http://www.azfamily.com/story/36855896/techshop-suddenly-shuts-down-in-

chandler

MacDonald-Evoy, J. (2017, October 11). Adults with Autism Learn Skills to Move Beyond 'Dead-ends,'

Find Tech Career Possibilities. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved from

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/chandler/2017/10/04/how-chandler-tech-shop-and-

robotics-entrepreneur-help-adults-autism-thrive/705223001/

Sherman, M.L., Lerman, D.C. & Hillman, C.B. (2016). Teaching Social Play Skills to Adults and

Children with Autism as an Approach to Building Rapport. Journal of Applied Behavior

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PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED WORK/THERAPY PROGRAM

Analysis. Retrieved from

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/doi/10.1002/jaba.299/full

Southall, C. (2013) Use of Technology to Accommodate Differences Associated with Autism Spectrum

Disorder in the General Curriculum and Environment. Journal of Special Education Technology,

28(1), 23-34. Retrieved from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=9b8268

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Wright, C.A., Wright, S.D., Diener, M.I., Rafferty, D., Sampson, A. (2017) Leveraging 3D Technology

for Students with Autism. University of Utah. Retrieved from

https://doaj.org/article/f641c94e0e914b03bf690e73d8a4ea21
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Appendix A
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Appendix B
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Appendix C