This PhD project is now being further developed as the ChatlabConnect app.

Separate Control of Shared Space (SCoSS), developed on the Riddles project at Sussex is a computer setup designed toPicture of Scoss on laptop encourage collaboration in children. Sam Holt used the SCoSS interface to investigate other-awareness in children with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) and to determine  if this application can be used to facilitate social interaction when ASC children perform a task with a peer or an adult partner.  The findings  of a study involving non-verbal ASC children aged 4-7 years demonstrated   that when using the SCoSS computer setup the children were able to work more jointly, whereas with a more typical computer interface   one ASC child tended to work alone while the other watched. A comparative study looked at the interactions between typically developing (TD)  children aged 2-4 years using the SCoSS computer setup with either  a peer or adult partner, finding that similarly to ASC children TD   children show more awareness of a peer partner than an adult partner, but unlike ASC children, TD children did not require the support of  the SCoSS interface to facilitate the higher rate of other-awareness. Sam's later work investigated the use of SCoSS on a multi-touch interactive tabletop computer, to make it possible for ASC children,  who are unable to use a mouse, to participate. See publications page for papers.