Designing virtual reality tools for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A systematic review

Evaluating the Potential of Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Serious Games Interventions for Autism: A Pocket Guide Evaluation Framework

“…Indeed, the following methodological criteria and sub-criteria result from the joining of the outcomes obtained in Peretti et al [22], the most recent referred references on the topic (e.g., [65][66][67][68]), and the most recent research articles describing IVR-based SG interventions for ASD (i.e., four articles: [61][62][63][64]). The deep study of these articles has also highlighted the same methodological issues, ranging from sample size to the lack of ethical committee approval.…”

“…Overall, it emerges that each of the methodological issues obtained by Peretti et al [22] (see Table 5) undermines the possibility of conducting a proper evaluation of IVR-based SG interventions for an ASD individual. This awareness prompted us to make a greater effort by combining such evidence with what is actually known in the literature on this topic (e.g., [61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]) to transform these methodological issues into criteria that can be addressed systematically, thus enabling controlled evaluation. The result is the identification of six methodological criteria and their sub-criteria, as illustrated in the following section.…”

“…(i) It is the result of a rigorous research method related to planning, conducting, and inferring the results of a systematic review, i.e., Kitchenam's method [70]; (ii) Kitchenam's rigorous method [70] was, in our case, enriched by the study of recent literature on this topic (e.g., [61,[63][64][65][66]) and by the hard work conducted by a balanced multidisciplinary team of two psychologists with expertise in autism and research methodology and two ICT experts, especially in designing and developing IVR-based systems and SG; (iii) The indications or suggestions provided for addressing each of the six methodological criteria and their sub-criteria are supported by established scientific evidence. For example, it is known from the relevant scientific literature [60,113] that the diagnosis of ASD as well as the indication of the level of severity of the disorder should be by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th (DSM-5).…”

“…Nowadays, achieving this goal is not an easy task since there is a lack of evaluation guidelines that allow for avoiding or dealing satisfactorily with methodological issues. A detailed examination of the methodological issues that emerged from a previous systematic review [22] accompanied by a study of recent literature on this topic (e.g., [61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]) leads us to identify methodological criteria for avoiding these issues in future evaluation processes. The term criterion (plural, criteria) refers to all the elements that allow a methodologically controlled study to be conducted [60,69].…”

VR Gaming for Meta-Skills Training in Special Education: The Role of Metacognition, Motivations, and Emotional Intelligence

“…According to Rodríguez-Cano et al, VR technology can create sustainable educational spaces for all, especially for people with special education needs [31,32]. Studies have also revealed that interactive and realistic activities within VR environments are safe, motivational, and well accepted by students with ASD and ADHD [33,34]. Over the past few years, the research has mainly focused on examining the effectiveness of VR and digital games as separate intervention strategies.…”