Stress Monitoring System for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Main Authors: Michal T. Tomczak, Marek Wojcikowski, Bogdan Pankiewicz, Jacek Lubinski, Jakub Majchrowicz, Daria Majchrowicz, Anna Walasiewicz, Tomasz Kilinski, Malgorzata Szczerska
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 2020-01-01
• Series: IEEE Access
• Subjects: Assistive technology; autism spectrum disorders; electronic sensors; neurodiversity; stress management; stress monitoring
• Online Access: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9296810/

In this article, a stress monitoring system tailored for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and developed for the educational institution is presented. People with ASD face problems with effective stress management due to their high self-perceived levels of stress, poor ability to cope with it, and difficulties with the accurate detection of the source of stress. Consistently, being able to measure stress appears to be highly vital for this specific group. The design and construction of the measuring system are introduced. The stress monitoring system including autonomic wearable device (wristband), both the electronics and mechanical part, as well as the software application for data analysis are shown. The wearable device includes sensors for measuring heart rate, skin resistance, temperature and movement. A dedicated software application allows for generating reports to evaluate therapeutic effects. The complex stress monitoring system has been tested in an educational institution. It can provide significant support in the stress management of people with ASD and become a meaningful assistance in the therapy of neurodiverse individuals.