Professionally Speaking

by Laura Bickle

Imagine having a state-of-the-art, audio-video system to improve how children with autism spectrum disorders process information. This could soon be a reality. Remarkable on its own, yes. What’s more noteworthy is that Grade 12 Richmond Hill student Adelina Corina Cozma developed it. We caught up with Cozma to discuss how her research could change the way we teach and how school science fairs have fostered her passion for science and pursuit of knowledge.

So how does the system work?

It personalizes auditory and visual information based on each person’s needs. This system can capture live audio and video from a teacher speaking at the front of the class and preprocess it by applying different plug-ins and applications. It then streams it in real-time to the students’ computers, iPads or even mobile devices so they see and hear this information based on their special requirements.

How does the content change to suit the student?

I discovered that children with autism have higher accuracy and faster response times when you slow down speech. Since individuals with autism have this delay in processing sound and speech, when we present the audio before the video, they actually perceive it as in sync. The system has the capacity to present content slower or faster than reality and present it out of sync, if that’s what the student needs.

What conclusions have you made from your research?

Thought processes of individuals with autism are not wrong, they’re just different. Presenting information in a different way can greatly help them learn.

When will we see this system in classrooms?

I am speaking with various teachers to see how we can approach this, and I have to get permission from a few software companies for the plug-ins. But between university applications, a co-op placement and preparing for this year’s science fair, there hasn’t been a lot of time.

Any tips on how to communicate better in a typical classroom?

It’s difficult to recommend something for an autism disorder since each individual has very different symptoms. However, I would suggest speaking more slowly since it has been found effective for at least some students.

Without science fairs, would your system exist?

Definitely not. I was lucky that in public school, I had a teacher who knew about the science fair process, was willing to take part in it and help her students create projects. I had such a great experience and met so many students my age who had similar passions. In Grade 9, it was no longer mandatory for me to participate in the science fair, but because I enjoyed it so much, I’ve just continued.