Researchers at Tufts designed NeuroBridge, an AI tool intended to help neurotypical people experience cross-neurotype communication and learn autistic communication preferences. The project emphasizes changing how people speak rather than training autistic people to act non-autistically, following the social model of disability.
NeuroBridge uses large language models to build short conversational scenarios from user information. At key points the system offers three alternative replies that share meaning but vary in tone, clarity or phrasing. In one example the tool shows three ways to ask about speeding up shoveling snow: two options can be answered with “yes” or “no,” while the third explicitly asks for advice. The researchers say the tool trains toward Gricean maxims of clear, brief, orderly speech.
The team developed the system with iterative feedback from a board of autistic volunteers and presented a paper at the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility. Rukhshan Haroon described NeuroBridge as a way for non-autistic people to gain firsthand experience, not a live translator. Fahad Dogar noted the design followed the social model and included ongoing user input.
They tested NeuroBridge with participants and received positive feedback about the clarity of the examples. The researchers plan to explore using the tool to support neurodiverse students at Tufts, to work with campus resources such as the StAAR Center, and to study how to scale and evaluate its impact.
Difficult words
- neurotypical — people with typical brain development and social processing
- neurodiverse — including people with different neurological profiles
- social model — idea that society, not impairment, creates barriers
- clarity — quality of being clear and easy to understand
- iterative — repeating a process with small improvements each time
- evaluate — examine something to judge its quality or effect
- scale — increase something in size or reach
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might NeuroBridge support neurodiverse students at Tufts and campus resources such as the StAAR Center? Give specific examples.
- The article says NeuroBridge is not a live translator. What limits does that suggest, and how could researchers evaluate the tool's impact?
