Review Concerning Multimedia Teaching Materials for Educating Professional Skills of Persons with Autism "VESTA"

Introduction

The development of the technology is opening the latest perspectives in the area of therapy, the rehabilitation and the education. One of groups which in the special way can take advantage of these interventions(computer based interventions,CBI) are persons with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). According to DSM-V classification these disorders are characterized by irregularities in the communication and social interactions and reduced, repeatable with standards of behaviours, interests and the activity. Apart from axial manifestations, persons from ASD often also display deficits in cognitive functioning, in sensorical processing and of motor development as well as anxiety and depressive symptoms and features of the psychomotor hyperactivity. Most widely in the area of cognitive functions a visual perception is an examined issue. Persons from ASD are characterized by special abilities in visual details. However they have a problem with noticing global structures, or the context and the problem in identifying the movement. A hypothesis of the weak central coherence is a popular theory explaining this manner of cognitive functioning. According to her autistic people better than typically developing persons are processing details. However simultaneous problems are appearing in interpretation of these details and noticing the relation between them, that is poor global processing.

Effective the learning requires the cooperation of two types of cognitive processes (of attention, memory, executive functions) and emotional and incentive. Since human teaching is occurring largely in the social context, these processes must include also a social recognition (the processing of information about emotion, the attention and intention of other persons) and social motivation (to sharing of emotion, attention, intention during interaction with other). Many evidence exists, that both these components of the social learning are disturbed at persons with autism what purchasing the knowledge and abilities are making it difficult for them, even at the kept high intellectual capacity.

They say that persons with autism have an inborn easiness for using computer technologies and computers constitute the friendly environment for them. Many researchers are also calling for special the application of computers in ASD therapy what the reflection is finding in more and more for substantial amount of computer therapeutic programs intended for these persons. Multimedia computer programs are providing "VESTA" multifaceted form of preparing autistic persons for performing specific professional activities and functioning as team members employee. Authors managed to create the solid education program appropriate to the destination established in the title [1, 2].

The program is spreading through "VESTA" detailed and precisely formulated, as well as sequentially presented, issues associated with pursuing such professions, as: helper of the employee of the hotel staff, helper of the cook, helper of the librarian, office helper. Also a module concerning caring for its image and a module discussing general rules of functioning on the labour market are a crucial element of the program. "VESTA" is an undoubted advantage of the program his presentation in the form visual which is appealing to the perceptual channel most popular with autistic persons. It is supporting involving larger stores of attention by autistic persons while using the program. Moreover the program"VESTA" is giving the possibility of the slower presentation of material which is divided to smaller sections. They can be a lot evoking cases repeated and strengthened in environment deprived of stimuli fear, about social character, of elements (without a direct autism: a developmental psychopathological approach. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 29(4): 334-347.

contact with the teaching person). "VESTA" is also an advantage of the program his dynamics toned down, lack unnecessary of "embellishments" which could lead to disadvantageous overstimulation for recipient with autism. Using of the program "VESTA" in the group with autism is becoming part of an activity preferred by them, savoured out with positive emotions, due to using computer devices. It can be a factor strongly awarding and motivating for further, effective teaching contents presented in the program "VESTA" [3, 4].

Conclusions

The development of the technology is opening the latest perspectives in the area of therapy, the rehabilitation and the education. One of groups which in the special way can use the computer technology are persons with ASD.The neuropsychological profile of persons from ASD is predisposing this group for effective using the computer in it from the described VESTA program.