Tactile interactive device helps those with autism communicate

While basic communication is something that comes easily and naturally to most of us, for people on the lower end of the autism spectrum it is an ongoing struggle.

There are more than 700,000 with autism in the UK (Thinkstock)

There are more than 700,000 people living with some form of autism in the UK, and more than 40% of them have learning disabilities, according to The National Autistic Society.

Many more around the world are suffering in silence.

Sensory Communication device comes in a small board with six cubes customised with different textures (Jeffrey Brown)

Industrial designer Jeremy Brown has come up with a tool which could help ease the problem – an ergonomic device that uses tactile interaction as a means to communicate.

After realising that smell, sound and touch could also be used to convey an idea, Brown came up with the Sensory Communication device – which consists of a board with six cubes covered in different textures.

The device is easy to assemble and with options to record and download audio (Jeffrey Brown)

The cubes are attached to a board and audio is recorded for individual cubes.

When the board is turned on, the person using the device simply has to squeeze a cube for the audio sound to play, sending word to their care-givers of their wants and needs.

Sensory Communication uses elements such as sound, smell and touch as a method to communicate (Jeffrey Brown)

“This allows some who may have never spoken before to say they need to use the bathroom or are hungry, avoiding built up frustration,” Brown says. “A texture, sound, and even smell can communicate an idea just as much as an image may.”

The US-based designer came up with the concept after visiting a school for special needs students in Cincinnati.

“I met a girl in one of the classes who was non-verbal with little to no vision,” says Brown. “She was still functioning but needed guidance through the hallways and during more physical activities.

Those suffering from severe cases of autism often battle a lonely struggle (Jeffrey Brown)

“At one point the teacher asked her if she wanted a snack. But this girl couldn’t even say the word ‘pretzel’ despite how eager she looked,” he says.

“It then came to my attention that this girl couldn’t even ask to use the bathroom (which I later learned from the teacher she had to use a diaper).”

“She couldn’t voice her opinion and had next to no power of choice.”

Sensory aids come in form of sound, smell and touch (Thinkstock)

Brown then looked at online support forums for parents of autistic children who were in similar situations.

“I found many questions and pleads for help but no answers,” he says.

With help from he girl and other faculty members of that school, Brown gradually turned his concept into a working prototype.

“This combination of features in the device eliminates the frustration of the user not being able to speak their mind and frustration a caregiver may have struggling to interpret the user’s want,” says Brown.

“But most importantly, it can bring joy by giving a voice to those who don’t have one.”