An interactive kiosk for the detection and treatment of children with Symptoms of Autism. Designed to acclimate children with movements that stimulate and practice senses that are underdeveloped in this condition in a safe environment.

There has been a major increase in the incidence of autism over the last twenty years. A study has revealed that many children who have autistic traits are never diagnosed clinically, leading to them not receiving the support they need through educational or health services. In recent studies, these undiagnosed children have been included in estimates of how many children have autism spectrum disorder, or an ASD (which includes both autism and Asperger’s syndrome). Such studies have estimated that one in every hundred children has an ASD. This large number of un-diagnosed children displayed autistic traits: repetitive behaviors, impairments in social interaction, and difficulties with communication. At India's current population, this means there are more than 2 million autistic persons in the country.

Autism is the most severe form of abnormality. It is a disorder of neural development. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells work. Here, the brain is unable to process sensory information effectively, and this condition is called Sensory Processing Disorder.

The objective of the project is to connect Education and Health care through games. The project gives an intervention on how we can increase awareness among teachers in schools and parents at home towards the traits of Autism in kids, and help them in detecting symptoms of autism with its possible solution. Major problem with this disorder is its diagnosis. Autism is usually undetected, as kids who are slow in school are considered not so smart, but the fact that there could actually be something wrong with the kid almost never comes up.

After doing deep research on the subject and talking to child psychologists, I postulated a solution to integrate senses inspired by Sensory Integration, an occupational therapy.
It stimulates all the senses simultaneously and repetitively through various activities so that the brain may start processing the information properly after consistent stimulation. These activities are designed in a way that they help in the development of sensory, perceptual motor skills, and memory, which ultimately leads to the development of cognitive skills and intelligence.

The product is a tall booth with an interactive floor and a handle hanging from the roof. It has a series of levels. The floor is divided into 8 by 8 grids and consists of 8 colors. Colors are most easy to perceive and are playful for children and stimulate the sense of vision. The blocks on the floor are designed in a way that makes the child on the floor balance on the blocks, which stimulates the vestibular sense. The handle on the roof is kept there so that if the child feels imbalance, then he/she could take support of the string by changing his/her grip on the handle, which stimulates proprioceptive sense. The activities involve jumping on some levels, which helps the child find relief from hyperactivity.

The process:
Domain exploration, Problem Identification, Desktop research, and Interviews with Child Psychologists, Concept generation and iterations. Validating concept with child psychologists, Physical prototype - creating a capacitive touch panel with acrylic and wood-fitted Arduino; Python language to execute commands after detecting touch. Demonstrating the feasibility of the concept.