Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques are being used more frequently to improve high-tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), but many of these techniques are integrated without the inclusion of the users' perspectives. As many of these tools are created with children in mind, autistic adults are often neglected in the design of AAC tools to begin with. We conducted in-depth interviews with 12 autistic adults to find the pain points of current AAC and determine what general technological advances they would find helpful. We found that in addition to technological issues, there are many societal issues as well. We found 9 different categories of themes from our interviews: input options, output options, selecting or adapting AAC for a good fit, when to start or swap AAC, benefits (of use), access (to AAC), stumbling blocks for continued use, social concerns, and lack of control. In this paper, we go through these nine categories in depth and then suggest possible guidelines for the NLP community, AAC application makers, and policy makers to improve AAC use for autistic adults.

Many of us easily recognize emotions expressed in others' faces. A smile may mean happiness, while a frown may indicate anger. Autistic people often have a more difficult time with this task. But new research, published June 15 in The Journal of Neuroscience, sheds light on the inner workings of the brain to suggest an answer. And it does so using a tool that opens new pathways to modeling the computation in our heads: artificial intelligence.