A VR Intervention to Develop Social Skills for Children with ASD: An Expert Evaluation

Social interactions hold immense significance in the lives of individuals. Children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may face difficulties when engaging in social situations. These challenges often manifest as neurodivergent behaviours and a reduced willingness to engage in social sharing. Sharing is an integral aspect of social interaction. A lack of awareness or a limited inclination to share can hinder the acquisition of vital social skills. In this paper, a virtual reality (VR) application inspired by the Social Story™ intervention is presented. The aim of the work is to help children with ASD understand social scenarios and gain sharing skills. The application can be used in two configurations: 2D screen and head-mounted display (HMD). Since the system is being designed for a vulnerable group, as part of the iterative application design process, we solicited opinions from six expert professionals who work with children with ASD. They tested, evaluated (questionnaires and physiological data capture) and provided open feedback on the system. The key recommendation from the expert assessors is that the HMD-based interventions are more suitable as an advanced teaching tool for showing skills and knowledge, whereas screen-based interventions could be used for daily practice in children with ASD. Experts evaluated the two configurations from three factors: immersion, enjoyment, and comprehension. In terms of physiological responses, there was a greater increase in electrodermal activity (EDA) responses for the HMD-based intervention compared to the 2D intervention. The significant potential of such a system was highlighted by the expert users.