The anti-wandering tracker device for autistic children
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Date
2022-02Author
Nagaba, Angel
Mutegeki, Henry
Okello, Marvin Kevin Ochiira
Kahuma, Allelua Clare
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction and restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities. According to Uganda’s 2014 census, the national autism spectrum disorder prevalence was 70/10,000 persons at a population of 34,900,000. The current prevalence of ASD in Uganda is 88/10,000 persons. Autistic children normally suffer from wandering/getting lost which may result in injuries or fatalities. A research study was carried out to understand the entire autism spectrum disorder (ASD), challenges faced by Autistic children, how the challenges are currently being solved, and how we can use technology to improve the living conditions of autistic children. The team designed an Anti-Wandering Tracker (AWT) to improve the monitoring and tracking of autistic children during wandering episodes thus reducing the chances of injury or deaths that occur during wandering. The AWT system comprises two subsystems, the embedded system (The AWT device) and the mobile application. The embedded system (AWT device) is a wearable waist belt that takes in perimeter such as the live location of the child and sends them to the database. The mobile application retrieves and displays the location details, and alerts the caretaker when the child approaches or exceeds the defined safe perimeter. The caretaker then goes ahead to track the child thus reducing the child’s exposure to danger.