Innovative Technology for Autism Young and old, technology is
never far from us. It enables our communication and helps us
grow and maintain social relationships. For years Autism Speaks
has promoted the research of technologies to support children
and adults with ASD, whether that is through the awarding of
grants or by supporting research-networking events. 2011 saw a
new approach for Autism Speaks’ Innovative Technology for Autism
(ITA) initiative with the running of a student design
competition called Autism Connects. The design brief was pretty
straight forward: to create technology design ideas for
individuals with autism to better connect with the world around
them, and to allow individuals who do not have autism to better
understand and connect with those who do. Autism Connects was a
partnership between Autism Speaks, Core 77 and jovoto. In total
there were 126 design ideas submitted from over 30 countries.
The popularity of the competition really shows the passion and
interest there is for autism ar