Hi,
My name is Brendan Garvey and I am a behavior analyst-in-training. I've worked with families of people with autism for over four years, and have been blessed to share successes and progress with many, many families. I live and work in Southern California.
I'm very interested in how new technology can be used to improve the lives and health of people with autism. Something I've been interested in lately is how emerging "machine learning" software can be used to help families manage challenging behavior. "Machine learning" is (from what I understand) a brach of computer programming that develops software that can predict future behavior. It's primarily used by advertising companies and Internet search engines (Google in particular). Have you noticed that Internet ads are becoming increasingly targeted to your personal interests? That's partly the result of this new technology.
I've found a group of programmers who are interested in exploring how machine learning innovations can be used to help families of people with autism. Our idea is that parents/caregivers could turn on a computer or smart phone camera and leave it focused on the child while they are playing independently. The software would analysis the video footage and detect "precursor" behaviors (whining, wearing an un unhappy facial expression, fidgeting, etc). The software would then send the parents or caregivers a text message, recommending they check on the child. This would hopefully 1) allow parents to stop challenging behavior before it occurs, and 2) allow parents to feel more at ease while completing daily chores or relaxing.
I don't know if this idea will work in the real world. If it does, I believe we can find other ways to use this software to improve the lives of people with autism.
The software would not take permanent video footage. It would analysis the video images and immediately delete the videos. However, in order to build such a program, video examples of challenging behavior and precursor behavior must be used to "teach" the software what to "look" for. As a result, I need the participation of families who are willing to contribute video of their child.
I know many, many families in my capacity as a behavior analyst-in-training. I felt that it wasn't appropriate to approach those families, because of my existing professional relationship with them. If you or any other families you know are interested in being a part of this project, please email me and we can talk about what it would entail. I will also introduce you to the computer programmers I am working with, so that you will know exactly who will be viewing the videos. My foremost concern is that participating families have confidentiality and privacy protected.
My email is bgarvey6@gmail.com
Thanks so much,
Brendan Garvey
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