Difficulties in social communication and interaction define autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Our group at ACE researches how virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mobile apps and other media can improve the availability and effectiveness of therapeutic services for people on the autism spectrum. Our work is guided by speech language pathologists, clinical psychologists and medical doctors.
By creating virtual worlds including classrooms, playgrounds, public transportation, air travel and other environments, IMI hopes to develop protocols for improving the quality of life for these children. By delivering evidence-based communication intervention methods, IMI is teaching functional communication strategies in immersive environments. This training tool enhances the generalization of skills from clinical and classroom settings to real world settings. Another advantage of virtual reality is that it can also be used to filter out stimuli, which aids in focusing attention in patients with autism and can deliver targeted interventions. The therapist can adjust the level of stimuli in the environment according to each patient, adding in more distractions as their performance improves.
Publications & Presentations
Miller IT, Wiederhold BK, Miller CS, Wiederhold MD. Virtual Reality Air Travel Training with Children on the Autism Spectrum: Virtual Reality Air Travel Training with Autistic Children. CyberPsychology, CyberTherapy and Social Networking Conference. Norfolk State University. 2019 June 25.