Research
Kinder Horizon Foundation conducts applied research at the intersection of behavioral science, software engineering, and machine learning, focused on children with autism and related developmental conditions.
Mission
Kinder Horizon Foundation is a research-driven nonprofit. The Foundation’s central question is how software, artificial intelligence, and machine learning can be designed and validated to genuinely improve outcomes for children with autism and their families.
Software products such as Lighthouse AAC, the Foundation’s first open-source release, are operational outputs of the research program rather than the research itself. The research sits in the design, evaluation, and deployment work that surrounds those tools.
We commit to evidence-based methodology, transparent reporting, and open publication. Where ethics review and participant protections permit, results, code, and methodology are released for community review and replication.
Investigators
- Dr. Seyed Mohammad JavadiCo-Founder and President
PhD, Computer Science. Research focus on machine learning and software systems for accessible technology, with applied interest in augmentative and alternative communication and the deployment of evidence-based intervention tools. Over 15 years of engineering practice in consumer software, now directed toward open-source research infrastructure for atypical learners.
Research areas- Machine learning and AI applications for atypical learners
- Software systems for accessible technology
- Evaluation methodology for AAC and intervention tools
- Open-source research infrastructure
- Deployment-driven applied research
- Maryam AliyarCo-Founder and BCBA, Clinical Lead
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BACB international certification). Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis and a prior Master’s in Computer Science. Research focus on the integration of evidence-based behavioral methodology into technology-supported intervention, with particular attention to clinical fidelity in automated and semi-automated software experiences.
Research areas- ABA therapy outcomes and measurement
- Behavioral intervention design and measurement
- Integration of clinical methodology into technology-supported intervention
- Evidence-based practice in autism
- Family and caregiver coaching efficacy
Research questions
Over the next one to three years, the Foundation intends to address the following questions through its research and software programs.
- How can AAC software design be informed by real-world deployment data from non-speaking children using the tool in their homes and educational settings?
- What software, AI, and machine learning interventions measurably improve communication, learning, and quality-of-life outcomes for children with autism?
- How can BCBA-grounded behavioral intervention principles be reliably translated into automated or semi-automated software experiences without losing clinical fidelity?
- What are the most effective approaches to family and caregiver coaching when integrated with technology-supported intervention?
- How can open-source research infrastructure accelerate evidence-based practice in autism intervention more broadly?
- What outcome measures are most meaningful to families and clinicians when evaluating AAC and behavioral software tools?
Methodology
The Foundation’s methodological commitments draw from evidence-based practice in autism intervention and from implementation science as it applies to real-world deployment of clinical and educational tools. Where appropriate, single-subject experimental design (a standard methodology in BCBA-led research) is used; mixed-methods designs integrate quantitative outcome measurement with qualitative feedback from families and caregivers.
Pre-registration of study designs is preferred, as is the open release of data and code where ethics review permits. The Foundation aims for reproducibility from the protocol stage forward, not as an afterthought once results are in hand.
All human-subjects research will operate under approved ethics review. The specific institutional pathway is in development; partnerships with existing university or hospital ethics boards (REB or IRB) are being explored.
Research roadmap
The Foundation’s research program is in its initial planning stage. The first study is scoped below; additional work is in early planning.
- Lighthouse AAC Outcome Studyin design
A planned case-series study of 5 to 10 non-speaking children using Lighthouse AAC in home and school settings. Outcomes of interest include vocabulary acquisition, communication initiation rates, and family satisfaction. Mixed-methods design combining anonymized usage logs with qualitative caregiver interviews. All data collection is subject to ethics review approval and informed consent. A methodology paper is anticipated as the program’s first publication.
Additional studies are in early planning. This page is updated as protocols are registered and ethics review proceeds.
Research outputs
Software repositories are published openly. Publications, preprints, and datasets will appear here as they are produced. First publications anticipated 2026 to 2027.
github.com/kinderhorizonCollaboration
The Foundation welcomes collaboration with academic researchers, clinical practitioners, and educational institutions working in autism, AAC, ABA, accessible technology, and developmental disability research. Partnerships that can support institutional ethics review, joint publication, and shared methodology development are of particular interest.
Direct inquiries to research@kinderhorizon.org with subject line beginning ‘Research collaboration:’. Response within five business days.