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About GIRAF

GIRAF - Supporting autistic children through visual tools

What is GIRAF?

GIRAF (Graphical Interface Resource for Autistic Folks) is a set of tablet apps for autistic children, particularly those with minimal or no verbal communication. Since 2011, student teams at Aalborg University have built them in partnership with Danish special-education institutions.

The applications

GIRAF is three apps over a shared backend: Weekplanner (visual schedules), VTA (communication boards) and Foodplanner (visual meal plans). Each one is described in detail, with screenshots and its current state, on the applications page.

Who Uses GIRAF?

Primary Users

  • Children with autism (ages 5-17)
  • Children with minimal or no verbal communication
  • Children with varying support needs - from minimal to significant assistance

Secondary Users

  • Teachers and caregivers who create and manage schedules and content
  • Parents who want consistency between home and school
  • Institutions serving children with special needs

Our Partnership with Egebakken

Egebakken Specialskole in Vodskov, Aalborg Municipality, has been GIRAF's primary partner institution since the project began. This specialized school serves students with autism up to age 17, with eight different class levels accommodating varying support needs.

Egebakken provides invaluable insight into how GIRAF applications work in practice:

  • Classroom observations - Development teams visit to see how children interact with technology
  • Staff interviews - Teachers share what works, what doesn’t, and what they need
  • Usability testing - Real feedback from the people who use these tools daily
  • Ongoing collaboration - Each fall semester, new student teams continue the partnership

This close relationship ensures GIRAF remains grounded in reality rather than theory.

Other partners:

  • Center for Autism and ADHD - Aalborg Municipality

Academic Home

GIRAF is developed by students at the Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University as part of their software engineering education.

The project has been running continuously since Spring 2011, with new student teams contributing each fall semester. Teams include students from:

  • Software Engineering
  • Information Technology (BaIT)
  • Interaction Design

This interdisciplinary approach combines technical implementation with user-centered design principles.

What Students Gain

  • Real-world experience with assistive technology
  • Direct collaboration with end users and stakeholders
  • Multi-team coordination using Scrum methodology
  • Contributing to a meaningful, long-running project
  • Hands-on experience with Flutter, .NET, and modern development practices

Design Principles

Many individuals with autism process visual information more easily than verbal information. GIRAF applications leverage this through evidence-based design principles:

Principle Why It Matters
Predictability Knowing what comes next reduces anxiety - children can mentally prepare for transitions
Visual Clarity Pictures communicate without requiring social interaction, lowering stress
Simplicity Uncluttered interfaces with one action per screen minimize cognitive overload
Consistency Digital tools that behave the same way every time provide reliable structure
Independence Visual schedules let children follow routines without constant verbal reminders

These principles are grounded in TEACCH methodology, Applied Behavior Analysis research, and direct feedback from educators at Egebakken.

Open Source

All GIRAF applications are open source and available on GitHub.

Current repositories:

Get Involved

GIRAF welcomes contributions from students, researchers, and developers interested in assistive technology.

  • Students at AAU: Contact the Department of Computer Science about joining a GIRAF project team
  • Developers: Check our GitHub repositories for open issues
  • Institutions: Reach out if you’re interested in piloting GIRAF applications