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Conversation skills training for people with autism through virtual reality: using responsible research and innovation approach

Yurgos Politis (SMARTlab, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland) (Department of Counseling Educational Psychology and Special Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA)
Connie Sung (Department of Counseling Educational Psychology and Special Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA)
Lizbeth Goodman (SMARTlab, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland)
Michael Leahy (Department of Counseling Educational Psychology and Special Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA)

Advances in Autism

ISSN: 2056-3868

Article publication date: 20 February 2019

Issue publication date: 6 January 2020

851

Abstract

Purpose

Users’ role in co-designing products has changed: from influencing outcomes to influencing development/design; from standardizing to customising products/outcomes; from participating to engaging designers/developers. Although this participatory design (PD) approach makes users’ role more prominent it has been under-utilised for the technological development of products for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD). The purpose of this paper is to present a responsible research and innovation example, in conversation skills training for people with autism, using virtual reality (VR).

Design/methodology/approach

The PD approach was adopted during the iterative development of the virtual world and training materials. Multiple baseline design was utilised consisting of three participants on the mild/moderate end of the autism spectrum. Participants joined 15–16 sessions over four phases of structured conversations, delivered both face-to-face and virtually.

Findings

The feedback sessions revealed that the participants felt VR has the potential in providing training for people with autism spectrum disorders. Moreover, they thought delivering the training in three formats could enhance their learning, since PowerPoints, videos and chatbot would represent teaching, showing and practicing, respectively.

Social implications

PD promotes a “one-size-fits-one approach”, cultivating agile, inclusive, responsive design approaches for people with NDDs, so that outcome meets their needs and preferences, while VR training allows for a wider implementation, benefiting a wider range of learners.

Originality/value

The RRI approach increases the inclusion of people with disabilities in the decision-making process through dialogue with “experts”, making their role more visible, fostering an ethical and sustainable innovation process, leading to more desirable outcomes.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by funding from the charity RESPECT and the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under REA Grant Agreement No. PCOFUND-GA-2013-608728.

Citation

Politis, Y., Sung, C., Goodman, L. and Leahy, M. (2020), "Conversation skills training for people with autism through virtual reality: using responsible research and innovation approach", Advances in Autism, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 3-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-05-2018-0017

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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