Immersive Technology to Teach Social Skills to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Literature Review

This study presents the findings of a systematic review of empirical research on the use of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and extended reality (XR) to present social skill instruction to school-age students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Forty-one articles met the inclusion criteria. Studies targeted relationship skills, emotion recognition, social awareness, cooperation, and executive functioning. The intervention caused statistical improvement in 15 of the 41 studies (37%). Practitioners, parents, and researchers reported significant improvement of social skills in 32 studies (83%). We suggest modifications to the technology and interventions within the technology which may increase statistical gains for students. We conclude with recommendations for researchers and practitioners implementing AR and VR delivered social skill interventions.

Automated summary

This study reviews 41 empirical research articles on the use of AR, VR, MR, and XR in providing social skill instruction to school-age students with ASD, finding statistical improvement in 37% of studies and reported significant improvement in social skills in 83% of studies. Suggestions for modifications to the technology and interventions, as well as recommendations for researchers and practitioners implementing AR and VR delivered social skill interventions, are provided by the study.