Do adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders adhere to social conventions in virtual environments?
Do adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders adhere to social conventions in virtual environments?
The potential for using virtual environments (VEs) in educational contexts for people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been recognized. However, very little is known about how people with ASDs interpret and understand VEs. This study aimed to investigate this directly with a group of 12 adolescents with ASDs, each individually matched with comparison participants. Participants were presented with VEs to assess whether they adhered to particular social conventions, such as not walking across grass and flowerbeds en route to a cafÈ, or not walking between two people (ostensibly involved in conversation) en route to the bar. Whilst a significant minority of the ASD group adhered to the social conventions, others displayed substantial ‘off-task’ behaviour and a limited understanding of the VE. It is suggested that some individuals with an ASD, low verbal IQ and weak executive ability require the most support to complete tasks successfully in the VE.
adolescents, autistic spectrum disorder, executive function, social conventions, virtual environments
95-117
Parsons, Sarah
5af3382f-cda3-489c-a336-9604f3c04d7d
Mitchell, Peter
4a95f974-f41f-4c14-9cd1-bf6867bb6e22
Leonard, Anne
b8bf75a3-8a2e-44a7-9fdb-2eb603cd6186
February 2005
Parsons, Sarah
5af3382f-cda3-489c-a336-9604f3c04d7d
Mitchell, Peter
4a95f974-f41f-4c14-9cd1-bf6867bb6e22
Leonard, Anne
b8bf75a3-8a2e-44a7-9fdb-2eb603cd6186
Parsons, Sarah, Mitchell, Peter and Leonard, Anne
(2005)
Do adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders adhere to social conventions in virtual environments?
Autism, 9 (1), .
(doi:10.1177/1362361305049032).
Abstract
The potential for using virtual environments (VEs) in educational contexts for people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been recognized. However, very little is known about how people with ASDs interpret and understand VEs. This study aimed to investigate this directly with a group of 12 adolescents with ASDs, each individually matched with comparison participants. Participants were presented with VEs to assess whether they adhered to particular social conventions, such as not walking across grass and flowerbeds en route to a cafÈ, or not walking between two people (ostensibly involved in conversation) en route to the bar. Whilst a significant minority of the ASD group adhered to the social conventions, others displayed substantial ‘off-task’ behaviour and a limited understanding of the VE. It is suggested that some individuals with an ASD, low verbal IQ and weak executive ability require the most support to complete tasks successfully in the VE.
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Published date: February 2005
Keywords:
adolescents, autistic spectrum disorder, executive function, social conventions, virtual environments
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Local EPrints ID: 171377
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/171377
ISSN: 1362-3613
PURE UUID: d5388e97-bb24-415d-9085-5683ff65c1c0
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Date deposited: 17 Jan 2011 09:35
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:56
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Author:
Peter Mitchell
Author:
Anne Leonard
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