Emerging Technologies in Language Processing and Autism

The purpose of this meeting was to bring together investigators from the MIT Lincoln Laboratories, the MIT Media Lab, and the MGH Lurie Center for Autism to discuss emerging technologies in speech and language processing and their possible use in significantly improving communication in individuals with severe autism, where minimal speech is a defining social challenge.

Prof. Pattie Maes and graduate students Arnav Kapur, Jaya Narain and Kristy Johnson at the MIT Media Lab are developing new methods that make use of body and face based sensors and machine learning technology to recognize linguistic information and physiological needs. Dr. Thomas Quatieri is a world expert on the digital processing of speech at Lincoln Laboratories. Along with his colleagues Dr. Dan Hannon and Dr. Adam Lammert, he has put together a laboratory with a rare collection of instruments and computational resources to study human communication. The Lurie Center for Autism, one of the few institutions in the world dedicated to the medical treatment of children and adults with autism, is committed to translating the results of basic research into improving the lives for individuals with autism. Under the direction of Dr. Chris McDougle, and the research leadership of Dr. Maria Mody, the Lurie Center has made a major effort to recruit families for participation in such studies.

Kajal Claypool, Ph.D.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Noninvasive Biomarkers of Sensorimotor Coordination in ASD
Daniel Hannon, Ph.D.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Professor of the Practice, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Tufts University

Translating Physiological and Gestural Data into Useful Information
Kristy Johnson
Ph.D. Student, Affective Computing Group
MIT Media Lab

Update on the AlterEgo Silent Communication Device and Experiments
Arnav Kapur
Ph.D. Student
Fluid Interfaces Research Group
MIT Media Lab

Adam C. Lammert, Ph.D.
Technical Staff Scientist
Bioengineering Systems & Technologies
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Introduction to MIT Media Lab’s Research on Assisting Communication
Pattie Maes, Ph.D.
Professor of Media Technology
Founder/Director, Fluid Interfaces Research Group
MIT Media Lab

Exploring Verbal-Motor Connections in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Maria Mody, Ph.D.
MGH/HST/HMS Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging
MGHfC Lurie Center for Autism

Translating Physiological and Gestural Data into Useful Information
Jaya Narain
Ph.D. Student
Fluid Interfaces Research Group
MIT Media Lab

Lisa Nowinski, Ph.D.
Director of Clinical Psychology & Training
Lurie Center for Autism
Massachusetts General Hospital
MGH for Children
Instructor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School

James Williamson, Ph.D.
Technical Staff
Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Noninvasive Biomarkers of Sensorimotor Coordination in ASD
Thomas F. Quatieri, Sc.D.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

2019

The Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation, Wellesley, MA