Virtual Immersive Social Training for Children with Autism

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Social and communication challenges blight the lives of hundreds of thousands of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the UK and millions of their family members and carers. ASD is a developmental disorder which affects the way a person communicates with and relates to other people and the world around them. Social and Communication Skills (SCS) training is a necessity for individuals with ASD and should start as early as possible to be effective.Training books are good, but they are abstract on paper and can be difficult for users to engage with. Face to face social training by professional practitioners is effective. However, it can be costly, delayed due to limited resources, and sometimes even unavailable because of logistics.We are working to fill the gap in SCS provision by developing Autsera, a Virtual Reality (VR) training tool, providing SCS training for children with ASD at a fraction of the cost of effective social training solutions. The affordability of our product will allow both local authorities and carers to provide SCS training at an earlier age, more effectively, and more frequently. This can have a transformative effect on the quality of life, on mental health and job opportunities for people with autism, on the quality of life of their families and carers, and on the financial burdens on the economy in the short-term and long-term.