Skip to main content

Formative Design and Evaluation of an Immersive Learning Intervention for Adults with Autism: Design and Research Implications

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN 2019)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1044))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

We present here the formative design and evaluation of Virtuoso, an immersive learning intervention for adults significantly impacted by autism. The intervention consisted of two components: a spherical, video-based VR intervention, and a headset-based VR intervention. VR-based interventions such as Virtuoso have garnered a modest basis of empirical support, but more is needed. The focus of the intervention was on using public transportation. Usage testing utilized multi-methods, including observational and survey methods. Results suggest a very positive user experience for participants using both video-based and headset-based VR, indicating the video-based condition was more relevant and easy to use. Implications for design and future directions for research related to VR-based interventions for individuals with autism are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years. Atlanta, GA (2014). http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6302a1.htm?s_cid=ss6302a1_w

  2. American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edn.). Washington, DC (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Zhang, L., Warren, Z., Swanson, A., Weitlauf, A., Sarkar, N.: Understanding performance and verbal-communication of children with ASD in a collaborative virtual environment. J. Autism Dev. Disord. 48, 1–11 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Barton, E.E., Pustejovsky, J.E., Maggin, D.M., Reichow, B.: Technology-aided instruction and intervention for students with ASD: a meta-analysis using novel methods of estimating effect sizes for single-case research. Remedial Spec. Educ. 38(6), 371–386 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Boucenna, S., et al.: Interactive technologies for autistic children: a review. Cogn. Comput. 6(4), 722–740 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Goodwin, M.S.: Enhancing and accelerating the pace of autism research and treatment: the promise of developing innovative technology. Focus Autism Other Dev. Disabil. 23(2), 125–128 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Grynszpan, O., Weiss, P.L., Perez-Diaz, F., Gal, E.: Innovative technology-based interventions for autism spectrum disorders: a meta-analysis. Autism 18(4), 346–361 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Odom, S.L., et al.: Technology-aided interventions and instruction for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. J. Autism Dev. Disord. 45(12), 3805–3819 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Rutten, A., et al.: The AS interactive project: single-user and collaborative virtual environments for people with high-functioning autistic spectrum disorders. Comput. Anim. Virtual Worlds 14(5), 233–241 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Parsons, S.: Authenticity in virtual reality for assessment and intervention in autism: a conceptual review. Educ. Res. Rev. 19, 138–157 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2016.08.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Trepagnier, C.Y., Olsen, D.E., Boteler, L., Bell, C.A.: Virtual conversation partner for adults with autism. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 14(1–2), 21–27 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Jarrold, W., et al.: Social attention in a virtual public speaking task in higher functioning children with autism. Autism Res. 6(5), 393–410 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Lorenzo, G., Pomares, J., Lledó, A.: Inclusion of immersive virtual learning environments and visual control systems to support the learning of students with asperger syndrome. Comput. Educ. 62, 88–101 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Moore, D., Cheng, Y., McGrath, P., Powell, N.J.: Collaborative virtual environment technology for people with autism. Focus Autism Other Dev. Disabil. 20(4), 231–243 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Schmidt, M., Laffey, J.:. Visualizing behavioral data from a 3D virtual learning environment: a preliminary study. In: IEEE Proceedings of the 45th Hawaii International Conference on System Science (HICSS), pp. 3387–3394 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2012.639

  16. Wang, X., Laffey, J., Xing, W., Ma, Y., Stichter, J.: Exploring embodied social presence of youth with autism in 3D collaborative virtual learning environment: a case study. Comput. Hum. Behav. 55, 310–321 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Wallace, S., Parsons, S., Bailey, A.: Self-reported sense of presence and responses to social stimuli by adolescents with autism spectrum disorder in a collaborative virtual reality environment. J. Intellect. Dev. Disabil. 42(2), 131–141 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Glaser, N.J., Schmidt, M.: Usage considerations of 3D collaborative virtual learning environments to promote development and transfer of knowledge and skills for individuals with autism. Technol. Knowl. Learn. (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-018-9369-9

  19. Hwang, G.-J., Jong, M.S.Y., Shang, J.: Call for papers. Interact. Learn. Environ. 26(4), 566 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Brown, A., Green, T.: Virtual reality: low-cost tools and resources for the classroom. TechTrends 60(5), 517–519 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Fowler, C.: Virtual reality and learning: where is the pedagogy? Br. J. Educ. Technol. 46(2), 412–422 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Allen, S.M., Moore, V.: The prevalence and consequences of unmet need: contrasts between older and younger adults with disability. Med. Care 35(11), 1132–1148 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Carmien, S., Dawe, M., Fischer, G., Gorman, A., Kintsch, A., Sullivan Jr., J.F.: Socio-technical environments supporting people with cognitive disabilities using public transportation. ACM Trans. Comput.-Hum. Interact. (TOCHI) 12(2), 233–262 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Brooke, J.: SUS-A quick and dirty usability scale. Usabil. Eval. Ind. 189(194), 4–7 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Khowaja, K., Salim, S.S.: Heuristics to evaluate interactive systems for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). PLoS One 10(7), e0132187 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Nielsen, J.: 10 usability heuristics for user interface design. Nielsen Norman Group, 1(1) (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Benaquisto, L.: Open coding. In: Given, L.M. (ed.) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, p. 582. SAGE Publications Inc., Thousand Oaks (2008). https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n299

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  28. Simmons, N.: Axial coding. In: Allen, M. (ed.) The Sage Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods, pp. 80–82. SAGE Publications Inc., Thousand Oaks (2017). https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483381411.n33

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  29. Hubbard, R.S., Power, B.M.: The Art of Classroom Inquiry: A Handbook for Teacher Researchers, Revised edn. Heinemann, Portsmouth (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Steel, E.J., Janeslätt, G.: Drafting standards on cognitive accessibility: a global collaboration. Disabil. Rehabil. Assistive Technol. 12(4), 385–389 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Cobb, S.V., Nichols, S., Ramsey, A., Wilson, J.R.: Virtual reality-induced symptoms and effects (VRISE). Presence Teleoperators Virtual Environ. 8(2), 169–186 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Stokes, T.F., Osnes, P.G.: An operant pursuit of generalization – republished article. Behav. Ther. 47, 720–732 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Connell, B.R., et al.: The principles of universal design. NCSU (1997). http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/about_ud/udprinciplestext.htm. Accessed 22 Feb 2019

  34. Wickens, C.: Engineering Psychology and Human Performance. Charles E. Merrill, Columbus (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Noroozi, A., Khan, F., MacKinnon, S., Amyotte, P., Deacon, T.: Determination of human error probabilities in maintenance procedures of a pump. Process Saf. Environ. Prot. 92, 131–141 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Zhang, Y., Goonetilleke, R.S., Plocher, T., Liang, S.-F.M.: Time-related behaviour in multitasking situations. Int. J. Hum.-Comput. Stud. 62, 425–455 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Picard, R.W.: Affective Computing. MIT Press, Cambridge (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Seip, J.A.: Teaching the Autistic and Developmentally Delayed: A Guide for Staff Training and Development. British Columbia, Delta (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  39. Hill, E., Berthoz, S., Frith, U.: Brief report: cognitive processing of own emotions in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder and in their relatives. J. Autism Dev. Disord. 34(2), 229–234 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Welch, K.C., Lahiri, U., Liu, C., Weller, R., Sarkar, N., Warren, Z.: An affect-sensitive social interaction paradigm utilizing virtual reality environments for autism intervention. In: Jacko, J.A. (ed.) HCI 2009. LNCS, vol. 5612, pp. 703–712. Springer, Heidelberg (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02580-8_77

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  41. Stokes, T.F., Baer, D.M.: An implicit technology of generalization. J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 10(2), 349–367 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Stokes, T.F., Fowler, S.A., Baer, D.M.: Training preschool children to recruit natural communities of reinforcement. J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 11(2), 285–303 (1978)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Case-Smith, J., Weaver, L.L., Fristad, M.A.: A systematic review of sensory processing interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism 19(2), 133–148 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dennis Beck .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Schmidt, M., Beck, D., Glaser, N., Schmidt, C., Abdeen, F. (2019). Formative Design and Evaluation of an Immersive Learning Intervention for Adults with Autism: Design and Research Implications. In: Beck, D., et al. Immersive Learning Research Network. iLRN 2019. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1044. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23089-0_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23089-0_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-23088-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-23089-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics