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Category: Project

Description: The purpose of this systematic review is to explore how assistive and emerging tech-nologies help reduce stress and neurophysiological anxiety in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD has seen an increased prevalence in re-cent years with current CDC results showing a prevalence of 1 in 36 children in the U.S. ASD is a disorder that shows great diversity as well as a wide and varied range in the occurrence of its symptoms. In addition, it has been directly associated with the occurrence of stress and anxiety in one's life, which is characterized by many as sen-sory processing disorder (SPD). SPD is a condition that characterizes the behavior of individuals in response to stimuli received from the environment from which the indi-vidual may process non-typically by feeling the input more intense than it is causing them stress and anxiety. Stress is one of the most important limiting factors that can interfere with a person's participation in the activities of daily life that are necessary for them. People with ASD experience daily stress which significantly affects their functioning. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine by collecting data from the last ten years and filling a significant research gap regarding the use of assis-tive and emerging technologies to reduce stress in people with ASD by examining per-formance, measurement tools and interventions. The research methodology involves the collection of studies through systematic review analysis following the PRISMA principles to establish the research hypothesis, specific research questions, and inclu-sion and exclusion criteria to include the studies. The inclusion criteria were experi-mental & observational studies published only in English on the use of assistive and emerging technologies for stress & anxiety management in children & adolescents with ASD. Exclusion criteria included studies not directly related to stress & anxiety out-comes, non-English publications, and those outside the specified date range. The re-sults of the study showed that the technologies reviewed presented positive effects on stress reduction, but significant limitations were identified that may affect the gener-alizability and replication of reliable and valid applications in their use. Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Sensory Processing Disorder; Assistive Tech-nology; Neurophysiological Stress; Anxiety; Emerging Technologies