A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism

Xiaofan Zhang

doi:doi:10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11

| Peer-Reviewed

A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism

Xiaofan Zhang

Published in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 6)

Received: 25 October 2022 Accepted: 8 November 2022 Published: 14 November 2022

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

A social game is designed to fill in the blank of efficient and comprehensive social skills training for middle school students who have been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. The game utilizes augmented-reality technology based on the platform of Microsoft HoloLens with support of the 5G network. The game combines two popular training methodologies and is further developed to include the advantages and eliminating the disadvantages of the two. Supposedly, the student will improve their social skills by interact with the virtual characters programmed with artificial intelligent (AI) with the support of high-resolution graphic by 5G technology and Holograph. Multiple virtual characters will be presented, and some will be engaging in fun activities to motivate the student. The student can start with reading the emotions of the static virtual characters and initiate a conversation or directly jump in an existing social interaction. The environment is simulated based on the real surrounding with the support of augmented reality, so the student can play it potentially anywhere to compensate the generalization deficit in autism. The game will be designed based on the methodology of Applied Behavior Analysis and will be tested for its value starting in typical inclusive classrooms using a multiple baseline design across multiple participants.

Published in	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11
Page(s)	174-184
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Autism, Social Skills, Augmented Reality, Inclusion, Artificial Intelligent, Virtual Characters, Multiple Baseline Design

References

[1]	American Psychiatric Association. (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
[2]	Buescher, A. V., Cidav, Z., Knapp, M., & Mandell, D. S. (2014). Costs of Autism Spectrum Disorders in the United Kingdom and the United States. JAMA Pediatrics, 168 (8), 721.
[3]	Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. New York, NY: General Learning Press.
[4]	Bellini, S. (2008). Building social relationships. Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company.
[5]	Bellini, S. & Akullian, J. (2007). A meta-analysis of video modeling and video self- monitoring interventions for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Exceptional Children, 73, 264-287.
[6]	Bishop-Fitzpatrick, L., Mazefsky, C. A., Minshew, N. J., & Eack, S. M. (2014). The relationship between stress and social functioning in adults with autism spectrum disorder and without intellectual disability. Autism research: official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 8 (2), 164-73.
[7]	CDC. (2014) Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders—ADDM network. MMWR Surveill. Summ, 63. 1-22.
[8]	Carter, E. W., Cushing, L. S., Clark, N. M., & Kennedy, C. H. (2005). Effects of peer support interventions on students' access to the general curriculum and social interactions. Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities 30 (1), 15-25.
[9]	Couzens, D., Poed, S., Kataoka, M., Brandon, A., Hartley, J., & Keen, D. (2015). Support for students with hidden disabilities in universities: A case study. International Journal of Disability Development & Education, 62 (1), 24.
[10]	Constantino, J. N. & Gruber, C. P. (2005). Social responsiveness scale. Western Psychological Services: Los Angeles, CA.
[11]	Courchesne, E., Pierce, K., Schumann, C. M., Redcay, E., Buckwalter, J. A., Kennedy, D. P., & Morgan, J. (2007). Mapping early brain development in autism. Neuron, 56 (2), 399-413.
[12]	Courchesne, E., Carper, R. A., & Akshoomoff, N. A. (2003). Evidence of brain overgrowth in the first year of life in autism. Jama, 290 (3), 337–344.
[13]	Dawson G, Rogers S, Munson J, et al. (2010) Randomized, controlled trial of an intervention for toddlers with autism: The Early Start Denver Model. Pediatrics. 125 (1).
[14]	Dumas, J. E. (1986). Indirect influence of maternal social contacts on mother-child interactions: A setting event analysis. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 14 (2), 205-216.
[15]	Fabri, M., Andrews, P., & Pukki, H. (2016). A guide to best practice in supporting higher education students on the autism spectrum—for professionals within and outside of HE.
[16]	Feldman, R., Gordon, I., Schneiderman, I., Weisman, O., & Zagoory-Sharon, O. (2010). Natural variations in maternal and paternal care are associated with systematic changes in oxytocin following parent–infant contact. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 35 (8), 1133-1141.
[17]	Fleischer, A. S. (2012). Support to students with asperger syndrome in higher education—the perspectives of three relatives and three coordinators. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 35 (1), 54–61.
[18]	Gobbo, K., & Shmulsky, S. (2014). Faculty experience with college students with autism spectrum disorders: A qualitative study of challenges and solutions. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 29 (1), 13–22.
[19]	Gelbar, N. W., Shefcyk, A., & Reichow, B. (2015). A comprehensive survey of current and former college students with autism spectrum disorders. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 88 (1), 45–68.
[20]	Kuriakose, S., & Lahiri, U. (2017). Design of a physiology-sensitive vr-based social communication platform for children with autism. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 25, 1180-1191.
[21]	Koegel, L. K., Singh, A. K., & Koegel, R. L. (2010). Improving Motivation for Academics in Children with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord, 40, 1057- 1066.
[22]	Matson, J. L., Matson, M. L., & Rivet, T. T. (2007). Social-skills treatments for children with autism spectrum disorders. Behavior Modification, 31 (5), 682-707.
[23]	Nikopoulos, C. K. & Keenan, M. (2004). Effects of video modeling on social initiations by children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37 (1), 93-96.
[24]	Ogilvie, C. R. (2008). The impact of video modeling and peer mentoring of social skills for middle school students with autism spectrum disorders in inclusive settings. (Order No. 3335359, University of Central Florida). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 201.
[25]	Potter, J. (2014). The effect of peer-coaching on social skills performance of middle school students with high functioning autism spectrum disorder. (Order No. 3618803, University of Southern Maine). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 53.
[26]	Raue, K., Lewis, L., & Coopersmith, J. (2011). Students with disabilities at degree-granting postsecondary institutions—2011018. pdf. Retrieved August 16, 2016, from http://nces.ed.gov/ pubs2011/2011018.pdf.
[27]	Reichow, B., Volkmar, F. R., & Cicchetti, D. V. (2008). Development of the Evaluative Method for Evaluating and Determining Evidence-Based Practices in Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38 (7).
[28]	Sarrett, J, C. (2018) Autism and accommodations in higher education: insights from the autism community. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorder, 48: 679-693.
[29]	Sayman, D. M. (2015). I still need my security teddy bear: Experiences of an individual with autism spectrum disorder in higher education. Learning Assistance Review (TLAR), 20 (1), 77–98.
[30]	Schwartz, D., & Hartman, K. (2006). It is not television anymore: Designing digital video for learning and assessment. Video research in the learning sciences. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
[31]	Sherer, M., Pierce, K. L., Paredes, S., Kisacky, K. L., Ingersoll, B., & Schreibman, L. (2001). Enhancing conversation skills in children with autism via video technology. Behavior Modification, 25 (1), 140-158.
[32]	Smith, J. D., Dishion, T. J., Shaw, D. S., Wilson, M. N., Winter, C. C., & Patterson, G. R. (2014). Coercive family process and early-onset conduct problems from age 2 to school entry. Development and Psychopathology, 26 (4pt1), 917-932.
[33]	Taylor, M. J. (2005). Teaching students with autistic spectrum disorders in HE. Education & Training; London, 47 (6/7), 484–495.
[34]	Parsons, S., & Mitchell, P. (2002). The potential of virtual reality in social skills training for people with autistic spectrum disorders. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 46 (5), 430-443.
[35]	Patterson, G. R. (2016). Coercion theory: The study of change. In Dishion, T. J., & Snyder, J. J. (Eds.). (2016). The oxford handbook of coercive relationship dynamics. Oxford University Press. 7-22.
[36]	Vivanti G, Paynter J, Duncan E, et al. (2014) Effectiveness and feasibility of the early start denver model implemented in a group-based community childcare setting. J Autism Dev Disord. 44 (12): 3140–3153.
[37]	World Health Organization. (2004). The importance of caregiver-child interactions for the survival and healthy development of young children: A review.
[38]	Williams Glaser, C., Rieth, H. J., Kinzer, C. K., Colburn, L. K., & Peter, J. (1999). A description of the impact of multimedia anchored instruction on classroom interactions. Journal of Special Education Technology, 14 (2), 27-43.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Xiaofan Zhang. (2022). A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 11(6), 174-184. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Xiaofan Zhang. A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism. Psychol. Behav. Sci. 2022, 11(6), 174-184. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Xiaofan Zhang. A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism. Psychol Behav Sci. 2022;11(6):174-184. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11,
  author = {Xiaofan Zhang},
  title = {A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism},
  journal = {Psychology and Behavioral Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {6},
  pages = {174-184},
  doi = {10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.pbs.20221106.11},
  abstract = {A social game is designed to fill in the blank of efficient and comprehensive social skills training for middle school students who have been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. The game utilizes augmented-reality technology based on the platform of Microsoft HoloLens with support of the 5G network. The game combines two popular training methodologies and is further developed to include the advantages and eliminating the disadvantages of the two. Supposedly, the student will improve their social skills by interact with the virtual characters programmed with artificial intelligent (AI) with the support of high-resolution graphic by 5G technology and Holograph. Multiple virtual characters will be presented, and some will be engaging in fun activities to motivate the student. The student can start with reading the emotions of the static virtual characters and initiate a conversation or directly jump in an existing social interaction. The environment is simulated based on the real surrounding with the support of augmented reality, so the student can play it potentially anywhere to compensate the generalization deficit in autism. The game will be designed based on the methodology of Applied Behavior Analysis and will be tested for its value starting in typical inclusive classrooms using a multiple baseline design across multiple participants.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism
AU  - Xiaofan Zhang
Y1  - 2022/11/14
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11
T2  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JF  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JO  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
SP  - 174
EP  - 184
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7845
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11
AB  - A social game is designed to fill in the blank of efficient and comprehensive social skills training for middle school students who have been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. The game utilizes augmented-reality technology based on the platform of Microsoft HoloLens with support of the 5G network. The game combines two popular training methodologies and is further developed to include the advantages and eliminating the disadvantages of the two. Supposedly, the student will improve their social skills by interact with the virtual characters programmed with artificial intelligent (AI) with the support of high-resolution graphic by 5G technology and Holograph. Multiple virtual characters will be presented, and some will be engaging in fun activities to motivate the student. The student can start with reading the emotions of the static virtual characters and initiate a conversation or directly jump in an existing social interaction. The environment is simulated based on the real surrounding with the support of augmented reality, so the student can play it potentially anywhere to compensate the generalization deficit in autism. The game will be designed based on the methodology of Applied Behavior Analysis and will be tested for its value starting in typical inclusive classrooms using a multiple baseline design across multiple participants.
VL  - 11
IS  - 6
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Xiaofan Zhang

Wuhan Linjie Rehabilitation Medical Center, Wuhan, China

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Xiaofan Zhang. (2022). A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 11(6), 174-184. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Xiaofan Zhang. A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism. Psychol. Behav. Sci. 2022, 11(6), 174-184. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Xiaofan Zhang. A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism. Psychol Behav Sci. 2022;11(6):174-184. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11,
  author = {Xiaofan Zhang},
  title = {A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism},
  journal = {Psychology and Behavioral Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {6},
  pages = {174-184},
  doi = {10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.pbs.20221106.11},
  abstract = {A social game is designed to fill in the blank of efficient and comprehensive social skills training for middle school students who have been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. The game utilizes augmented-reality technology based on the platform of Microsoft HoloLens with support of the 5G network. The game combines two popular training methodologies and is further developed to include the advantages and eliminating the disadvantages of the two. Supposedly, the student will improve their social skills by interact with the virtual characters programmed with artificial intelligent (AI) with the support of high-resolution graphic by 5G technology and Holograph. Multiple virtual characters will be presented, and some will be engaging in fun activities to motivate the student. The student can start with reading the emotions of the static virtual characters and initiate a conversation or directly jump in an existing social interaction. The environment is simulated based on the real surrounding with the support of augmented reality, so the student can play it potentially anywhere to compensate the generalization deficit in autism. The game will be designed based on the methodology of Applied Behavior Analysis and will be tested for its value starting in typical inclusive classrooms using a multiple baseline design across multiple participants.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Mixed Reality Game to Improve Social Skills for Middle School Students with Autism
AU  - Xiaofan Zhang
Y1  - 2022/11/14
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11
T2  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JF  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JO  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
SP  - 174
EP  - 184
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7845
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20221106.11
AB  - A social game is designed to fill in the blank of efficient and comprehensive social skills training for middle school students who have been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. The game utilizes augmented-reality technology based on the platform of Microsoft HoloLens with support of the 5G network. The game combines two popular training methodologies and is further developed to include the advantages and eliminating the disadvantages of the two. Supposedly, the student will improve their social skills by interact with the virtual characters programmed with artificial intelligent (AI) with the support of high-resolution graphic by 5G technology and Holograph. Multiple virtual characters will be presented, and some will be engaging in fun activities to motivate the student. The student can start with reading the emotions of the static virtual characters and initiate a conversation or directly jump in an existing social interaction. The environment is simulated based on the real surrounding with the support of augmented reality, so the student can play it potentially anywhere to compensate the generalization deficit in autism. The game will be designed based on the methodology of Applied Behavior Analysis and will be tested for its value starting in typical inclusive classrooms using a multiple baseline design across multiple participants.
VL  - 11
IS  - 6
ER  -

Copy | Download