Enhancing Joint Attention Skills in Children on the Autism Spectrum through an Augmented Reality Technology-Mediated Intervention

Abstract

In the present study, the effects of an intervention based on an augmented reality technology called Pictogram Room were examined. The objective of the intervention was to improve the responding to joint attention (RJA) skills of gaze following and pointing in six children on the autism spectrum between 3 and 8 years old. A multiple baseline single-subject experimental design was conducted for 12 weeks in a school setting. Results indicated that all of the participant children improved performance in RJA following the intervention. Improvements were maintained over time and generalised to real-world situations. These findings demonstrate that autistic children can improve their RJA skills with a targeted and engaging intervention based on an accessible augmented reality technology tool.

Use of augmented reality in mental health-related conditions: A systematic review

“…Most of the studies indicated an enjoyable experience that can be individualized (crucial in a wide-spectrum condition) and effective in the long term. 21 , 24 , 27 – 29 , 33 Studies demonstrate that AR provides an intervention that can be implemented in many environments delivered by people other than therapists increasing ecological validity and cost-effectiveness. 33 Besides, it benefits instructors and parents by collecting quantifiable data, increasing quality time spent on tasks, and demonstrating advances in real-world abilities at home.…”

“… 21 , 24 , 27 – 29 , 33 Studies demonstrate that AR provides an intervention that can be implemented in many environments delivered by people other than therapists increasing ecological validity and cost-effectiveness. 33 Besides, it benefits instructors and parents by collecting quantifiable data, increasing quality time spent on tasks, and demonstrating advances in real-world abilities at home. 34 AR tools can be utilized to attract attention to the area that is intended to improve and restrict it there.…”

Virtual/augmented reality for joint attention skills improvement in autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review

“…As can be seen from Table 2, VR-based interventions were used in 6 of 7 studies examined within the scope of the research (Amaral et al, 2018;Amat et al, 2021;Cheng & Huang, 2012;Fletcher-Watson et al, 2016;Hopkins et al, 2011;Ravindran et al, 2019). Only in a very recent study ARbased intervention was employed (Pérez-Fuster et al, 2022).…”

“…With the fast progress of innovative technologies along with the affinity of many autistic people toward them (Goldsmith & LeBlanc, 2004) (Ho et al, 2019), Kinect-based videogame (Crowell et al, 2019), virtual reality (VR) (Amat et al, 2021) and augmented reality (AR) (Pérez-Fuster et al, 2022) VR and AR are among the most popular multimedia-based interventions in ASD research (Berenguer et al, 2020;Bradley & Newbutt, 2018;Bravou et al, 2022;Dechsling et al, 2021;Farroni et al, 2022;Glaser & Schmidt, 2022;Howard & Gutworth, 2020;Karami et al, 2021;Lorenzo et al, 2019;Lorenzo et al, 2022;Mak & Zhao, 2020;Marto et al, 2019;Mesa-Gresa et al, 2018;Miller et al, 2020;Parsons, 2016;Strickland, 1997;Thai & Nathan-Roberts, 2018;Zhang et al, 2022). VR provides sensory experiences in artificial environments through the computer, enabling virtual interactions.…”

“…VR scenarios can be easily modified to demonstrate various scenes that are often not feasible in usual therapeutic settings with space limitations and lack of resources. On the other hand, AR features a more tangible presence compared to VR, maintaining body awareness and better generalization from the virtual world to the real world (Pérez-Fuster et al, 2022). Compared to social robots, VR and AR are more commercially available, relatively less inexpensive, and easier to learn how to work with them.…”