Our research aims to bridge academic studies, lived experience, and emerging technology
AI-Powered Supports for Neurodivergent Minds
With the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
In 2024, ITI answered a call from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. They wanted technology using AI to help people with intellectual disabilities or other disabilities like autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, and/or Down syndrome improve their health.
After polling over 100 autistic and ADHD community members about potential apps they would find useful, a majority indicated the need for decision-making support. As a result, we proposed to study how AI can support decision-making for neurodivergent adults.
THE NUMBERS
4.3%
of US autism research funding goes toward adults
Most research funding goes toward genetics, “cure,” or children. Autistics hit an enormous support cliff when they turn 18.
734
Research touch points with autistic and/or ADHD adults for this study
Interviews, beta testing, surveys, and more
1
AI-powered decision-making app developed to support research
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Neurodivergent minds don’t generalize info as automatically, leading to more decision paralysis and fatigue
There is growing evidence that Autistic brains struggle with using past information to make accurate predictions (Pellicano & Burr, 2012; Sinha et al., 2014; Wada et al., 2023). Adults make more than 33,000 decision a day. That’s more than 2,000 decisions an hour! (Sahakian & Labuzetta, 2013) When minor and major decisions all feel equally intense, the mental effort piles up and can be overwhelming.
Neurodivergent people want different things than their caregivers / parents
They want autonomy, and tools that support their autonomy and work with their brain. Families and caregivers were more focused on the external presentation of nervous system dysregulation, while Autistic / ADHD adults prioritized the internal stressors preceding and contributing to that dysregulation.
Autistic and ADHD adults found AI-powered decision support to be helpful
Responses from 44 beta users
100%
found the app at least somewhat useful
77%
said it helped them think about how actions affect wellness
77%
thought the app’s suggestions were good
55%
felt calm when using the app
The definition for “wellbeing” must include the capacity to carry out decisions
Traditional definitions of wellbeing haven’t worked for neurodivergent minds because they discount the fact that despite knowing what good decisions one should make, a lack of capacity (apraxia, fatigue) will lead to bad decisions being made despite having sufficient knowledge.
