Video Enhanced Virtual Reality Programs for Autism

该项目的长期目标是设计、构建和评估视频增强的虚拟现实餐厅社交技能教学对自闭症儿童的效果。具体目标是：1)为自闭症儿童设计一个虚拟现实(VR)场景，将在餐厅教授适当的行为；2)将该设计整合到一个互动计算机程序中，使用动画人物和视频演示类似的现实社会情景；3)通过使用应用行为分析和单学科设计来演示教学软件的有效性。视频增强VR提供的学习环境可能会帮助自闭症患者在可控、无威胁的世界中进行个性化练习，从而掌握困难的社交技能。实现这些目标的研究设计和方法是：1)选择被诊断为自闭症的儿童；2)设计、编程和调试基于PC的VR餐厅环境和适当的视频场景；3)进行试验以评估结果，使用n，多基线跨受试者设计。拟议的商业应用：虚拟现实学习环境将对儿童、家长和教师具有广泛的市场吸引力。以及健康从业者，向自闭症儿童和相关学习障碍儿童教授社会行为。目前的公司网站提供自闭症语言和安全技能的产品，允许为这一新产品提供具有成本效益的现场交付和支持系统。

The broad, long-term objectives of this project are to design, build, and evaluate the efficacy of video enhanced virtual reality restaurant social skill instruction for children with autism. Specific aims are: 1) Design a virtual reality (VR) scenario for children with autism that will teach appropriate behavior in a restaurant; 2) Incorporate this design into an interactive computer program using animated characters and videos demonstrating similar real world social situations; 3) Demonstrate the efficacy of the instructional software through use of applied behavior analysis and single subjects design. The learning environment afforded by video enhanced VR may help individuals with autism master difficult social skills by providing individualized practice in controllable, non-threatening worlds. The research design and methods for achieving these goals are: 1) Choose children who have been diagnosed with autism; 2) Design, program, and debug a PC based VR restaurant environment and appropriate video scenarios; 3) Conduct trials to evaluate the results using n, multiple baselines across subjects design. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: Virtual reality learning environments would have a broad market appeal for children, parents, teachers. and health practitioners for teaching social behavior to children with autism and related learning disabilities. A present company web site provides products for autism language and safety skills, allowing an in-place cost effective delivery and support system for this new product.