Effectiveness of a mixed reality system in terms of social interaction behaviors in children with and without autism spectrum condition

Abstract

The present study analyses the effectiveness of a mixed reality (MR) face-to-face full-body system to foster social interaction behaviors (SIBs) in a child with ASC and a play partner, a child without ASC (non-ASC). An MR system allows the development of an active and dynamic environment in which the therapist does not need to have a direct influence on individuals during the therapy. In this study, as part of a larger project, the main goals are to show (1) whether an MR system is as effective in fostering SIBs and non-stressful contexts of play in children with ASC as well as in non-ASC, and (2) whether an MR system has the potential to foster a higher number of SIBs and lower state anxiety levels compared to a traditional therapy setting (LEGO). Our results show that no significant differences were found in starting a new social sequence ("social initiation"), in externalizing "thoughts aloud" ("externalization"), and in SIBs as a whole ("social interaction") between ASC/non-ASC children both in LEGO and in the MR system. In addition, we found similar results when we compared both systems. There were also no significant differences related to state anxiety levels. These positive results show that an MR system is, at least, as good as a typical social intervention in promoting SIBs, as well as, in creating a non-stressful context of play; while an MR system has greater flexibility and a broad range of potential experiences.