CoASD: A tabletop game to support the collaborative work of users with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

This paper presents the design and evaluation of CoASD (Collaborative Game for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder). CoASD is a game designed to offer support for collaborative work for users with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Individuals with ASD have impairments in social communication and behavioral areas, presenting difficulty to perceive, interact, communicate and share with others. CoASD Game has been projected with specific characteristics to support the performance of the required collaborative tasks, as well as to encourage the collaborative work of ASD users with higher difficulties in the affected areas. The game has been assessed upon a group of seven boys with high degrees of impairment. The results have shown that CoASD Game favorably contributes to draw the attention of users to perceive and perform the tasks, motivating them to act and collaborate with their partners.