Chen Paul Phd Thesis Young

Aptos, CA psychologist: Can virtual reality technology assist ...

How can young adults with autistic spectrum issues learn the social skills they need? Some are newly diagnosed for the first time. Some heard they have “non-verbal learning disability”. Others have been labeled with Asperger’s Syndrome.

There is Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) training. Theory of Mind training. What about virtual reality technology? Are there any virtual reality technology packages available t teach social skills? “People with autism experience profound and pervasive difficulties in the social domain. Attempts to teach social behaviours tend to adopt either a behavioural or a ‘theory of mind’ (ToM) approach. The beneficial aspects and limitations of both paradigms are summarized before an examination of how virtual reality technology may offer a way to combine the strengths from both approaches.

Methods Behavioural and ToM approaches to social skills training achieve some success in improving specific skills or understanding. However, the failure to generalize learned behaviours to novel environments, and the unwieldy nature of some behavioural methodologies, means that there is a need for a training package that is easy to administer and successful in promoting learning across contexts.

Conclusions Virtual reality technology may be an ideal tool for allowing participants to practise behaviours in role-play situations, whilst also providing a safe environment for rule learning and repetition of tasks. Role-play within virtual environments could promote the mental simulation of social events, potentially allowing a greater insight into minds. Practice of behaviours, both within and across contexts, could also encourage a more flexible approach to social problem solving. Virtual environments offer a new and exciting perspective on social skills training for people with autistic spectrum disorders.

Introduction People with Asperger syndrome (AS) and other autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) experience profound difficulties in the social domain. This can lead to social exclusion, and difficulties in maintaining and sustaining friendships and employment (Howlin 1997). There have been many attempts to help children with ASDs develop specific social and communication skills in the hope that this will improve social functioning and increase acceptance by peers (e.g. Belchic & Harris 1994). The majority of these interventions have utilized behavioural methodologies and achieved varying degrees of success in improving and maintaining specific behaviours across time and contexts (for reviews, see Pollard 1998; Hwang & Hughes 2000; Rogers 2000). Many tend to target younger children with autism in the belief that learned social behaviours might ameliorate later difficulties in the social domain. There is little doubt that targeting social difficulties at an early age can have extremely beneficial effects (for a review, see Mundy & Crowson 1997).

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