A little bit about some of the people who have contributed to the creation and testing of our app so far:
Sue Fletcher-Watson
I am the lead on the project, and chief investigator for the clinical trial (i.e. Stage Two). My academic profile and publication list can be found here. I’m the one writing this website, and doing the blog. You can reach me using the details in the panel on the right hand side of this page.
Helen McConachie
Helen is a Clinical Psychologist, and academic of international standing. She is currently based in the Institute of Health and Society at Newcastle University. Helen’s role on the Click-East project is as mentor to Sue and a member of the project steering group. This group oversees the clinical trial (aka Stage Two) from creation of the first draft protocol through ethical review, recruitment, data collection and right up to publication of the final results. Helen has extensive experience in intervention research with people with autism spectrum disorders. Her professional profile can be found here, and you should also check out her research wesbite. Anyone living in the North East of England with an interest in autism spectrum disorders should also explore the Dasl-ne site.
Helen Pain
Helen is a Reader in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Her academic profile is here. Helen is guiding Sue through the process of developing a computer game, especially working with programmers for the first time (for Sue, not Helen!), and incorporating participatory design into the game development process. What’s participatory design? – wait for a blog post in the near future!
Sean Hammond
Sean has been lead programmer on the project since we set out, helping to make key decisions about the hardware platform and programming tools from the start. He has managed the work of additional programmers and our collaborators at the ECA. The game as it stands is overwhelmingly his work. Sean has unfailingly gone beyond the call of duty in his work on the project. His online profile is here.
Yuan Kai
Yuan is the animator for the project. She has produced the large majority of the graphics and animations used in the game and is still creating new content to be added in due course. All of her contributions have been absolutely free as part of her final year studies for a degree in Animation at the Edinburgh College of Art.
Ali Humphry
Ali was an undergraduate student at the University of Edinburgh, who graduated in 2011. During her final year project she produced and trialled the rewards system that is integrated into the game and which is considered one of its greatest strengths by parents and teachers who have tested it out. Like Yuan, her contribution came absolutely free and was part of her BSc qualification.
Anne O’Hare
Anne is a community paediatrician who holds not one, but two honorary Chairs at the University of Edinburgh. She is supporting recruitment for Stage Two of our project as well as giving guidance on all aspects of running a clinical trial. Her professional profile can be seen here.
Pamela Dicks
Pam is Manager of the Scottish Medicines for Children Network. She joined the steering group who are overseeing the project, and specifically the clinical trial, to give an experienced but outside perspective on the work, and has been an invaluable asset in that role.
Thanks are also due to the following organisations and people, all of whom have supported the app development process and/or clinical trial management:
Our funder, the Nuffield Foundation; the Scottish Autism Research Group (SARG); Interface 3; Visiting Teaching and Support Services (VTSS).
In no particular order: Morgan Tamplin, Georgina Hamshaw, Kay Riding, Susan Davidson, Keith Edwards, Kate Ho, James Garforth, Mina Perrichon, Rowena Arshad, Jo Williams, Katie Cebula, Evelyn MacGregor, Jennifer Wishart, Edd McCracken, Jared Taylor, Donald Holwill, Rachel Everitt, Craig Methven, Elsbeth Helfer,