RESPONSE SCORING SYSTEM FOR VERBAL BEHAVIOR WITHIN A BEHAVIORAL STREAM WITH A REMOTE CENTRAL PROCESSING SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED HANDHELD COMMUNICATING DEVICES

• US 20080032270A1
• Filed: 07/18/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barry Katz
• Original Assignee: Barry Katz
• Inventors: PETERSON, Robert, KATZ, Barry
• Granted Patent: US 8,182,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0066 with identification means for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/145 by video means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/378 Visual stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6821 Eye
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 5/001 specially adapted for particular purposes, not otherwise provided for or not fully classifiable according to technical characteristics, e.g. therapeutic glasses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/00 Manually or mechanically operated educational appliances using elements forming, or bearing, symbols, signs, pictures, or the like which are arranged or adapted to be arranged in one or more particular ways puzzle-games A63F9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 : Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/70 : relating to mental therapies, e.g. psychological therapy or autogenous training

Abstract

A system, method and related devices for monitoring and improving the training and social eye contact and communication skills of developmentally challenged individuals such as autistic individuals and other individuals with special needs in improving their interpersonal communicating and other skills. A so called, TeachMe component of the system allows the defining of a students/patients long-term behavior or academic or social goal treatment in a hierarchical relationship of skills in treatment plans. It captures behavioral event within a ‘behavioral stream’ and in real time stores the ‘behavioral stream’ in a centralized database that can be accessed anywhere and anytime using the Internet. Procedures and materials used during the treatment are identified and data is stored in a central depository and can be displayed in a therapist'"'"'s handheld device. The WatchMe component of the system and method monitors and obtains qualitative and quantitative information about the eye contact habits of a subject being trained or interviewed. It provides stimuli that promotes and encourages improvements in the eye contact habits of the subject.

Claims

1. A teaching system for human subjects who are developmentally disadvantaged, comprising:

a plurality of palm-sized, data logging devices, each of said data logging devices being structured for logging responses elicited from the human subjects, in response to various triggers and stimuli;

a computer system operatively coupled with said plurality of palm-sized data logging devices to receive and provide information from and to said plurality of data logging devices, wherein;

(a) each of said data logging devices comprise a built-in facility that enables said data logging device to log a result related to one or more of an activity, skill, social event, appropriate behavior, or inappropriate behavior of the human subject being treated;

(b) each of said data logging devices comprise a facility which enables the downloading of data to a central data and control repository of said computer system, which categorizes and maintains results in accordance with various criteria; and

(c) a processor associated with the computer system which is structured to analyze the data and to develop standardized responses to said events.

2. The system of claim 1, including a validation system to validate both users and the logging devices, which communicate with the computer system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises one or more data centers which communicate with one another and share data and information with one another.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a structure which controls security and access to the system.

5. The system of claim 1, including a voice recognition system structured to capture spoken language used to communicate with the palm-sized data logging devices.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a facility which contains rules, and defines structures that monitor and track the frequency of treatments being applied to the human subjects, relative to events such as biting, hitting, and other similar traits.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor allocates defined values to various behavior patterns.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the palm-sized logging devices contain information about goals and defined activities including criteria and attributes which include one or more of:

trial definition, probe definition, number of trials, success criteria, protocols for continuing or stopping a treatment, timing and event values of the treatment processes, single or chained activity treatments, and schedules of treatments.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the logging devices contain a facility that allows a therapist to tap or click or emit voice commands associated with specific behavioral responses, to record the accuracy of a response or a description of a behavior.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the logging devices comprise a facility that enables time stamping each event within a behavioral stream and/or record the number of correct or incorrect behavioral responses and response times or reaction times.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said system includes communications protocols for communicating with other logging devices or with the computer system.

13. The system of claim 1, including a locating facility, that enables time stamping and location stamping of the site of treatment being administered to a human subject.

12. The system of claim, including facilities that enable a teacher to select, alone or in conjunction with other trained professionals, defined criteria for completion, mastery and maintenance, which can be intra-session or inter-session.

14. A system for encouraging a developmentally challenged patient to maintain eye contact with a trainer, during verbal training communications, the system comprising:

a first device worn by the patient;

a second device associated with the trainer; and

a circuit which outputs stimulation to the patient, to encourage the patient to orient her head toward the trainer, in a manner which helps establish eye contact with the trainer.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first device is at least one of a transmitter and a receiver and wherein the second device is at least one of a receiver and transmitter, respectively, and wherein one of the first and second devices issues an output when the first device and the second device are generally directed toward one another.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first device is a transmitter and the second device is a receiver, and

wherein the first device is a narrow beam infrared transmitter.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the circuit outputs an unpleasant sound when the patient does not orient her head toward the trainer.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the circuit outputs a pleasant sound when the patient orients her head toward the trainer.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein at least the first device is supported on a eyeglass frame.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the first device is self contained.