Perseverations of the Academy: A Survey of Wearable Technologies Applied to Autism Intervention

The Combating Autism Act of 2006 and its reauthorization in 2014 produced unprecedented interest in autism research. Computer Science researchers have devoted considerable attention to applying wearable technologies to existing autism interventions, as well as producing new forms of intervention. Many of these applications base their approach in popular conceptions of autism, leading the work to focus predominantly on social skills training. This survey reviews existing research inquiries and produces alternative research directions informed by emerging research in the fields of psychology, neurology, education, and critical disability studies. Wearable technologies may be uniquely suited to support and empower autistic people in sensorimotor integration, emotional regulation, executive function, communication, and other underrepresented domains of this misunderstood disability.