Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training for Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism

doi:10.1007/S10803-012-1544-6

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Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training for Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism

Journal Article•DOI•

Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training for Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism

Michelle R. Kandalaft¹, Nyaz Didehbani¹, Daniel C. Krawczyk¹, Daniel C. Krawczyk², Tandra T. Allen¹, Sandra B. Chapman¹ - Show less +2 more•Institutions (2)

University of Texas at Dallas¹, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center²

01 Jan 2013-Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Springer US)-Vol. 43, Iss: 1, pp 34-44

TL;DR: Findings suggest that the virtual reality platform is a promising tool for improving social skills, cognition, and functioning in autism.

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Abstract: Few evidence-based social interventions exist for young adults with high-functioning autism, many of whom encounter significant challenges during the transition into adulthood. The current study investigated the feasibility of an engaging Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training intervention focused on enhancing social skills, social cognition, and social functioning. Eight young adults diagnosed with high-functioning autism completed 10 sessions across 5 weeks. Significant increases on social cognitive measures of theory of mind and emotion recognition, as well as in real life social and occupational functioning were found post-training. These findings suggest that the virtual reality platform is a promising tool for improving social skills, cognition, and functioning in autism.

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Journal Article•DOI•

The Use of Virtual Reality Technology in the Treatment of Anxiety and Other Psychiatric Disorders.

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Jessica L. Maples-Keller¹, Brian E. Bunnell², Sae-Jin Kim, Barbara O. Rothbaum•Institutions (2)

Emory University¹, Medical University of South Carolina²

01 May 2017-Harvard Review of Psychiatry

TL;DR: Recommendations for how to incorporate VR into psychiatric care are presented and future directions for VR-based treatment and clinical research are discussed.

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Abstract: After participating in this activity, learners should be better able to:• Evaluate the literature regarding the effectiveness of incorporating virtual reality (VR) in the treatment of psychiatric disorders• Assess the use of exposure-based intervention for anxiety disorders ABSTRACT: Virtual reality (VR) allows users to experience a sense of presence in a computer-generated, three-dimensional environment. Sensory information is delivered through a head-mounted display and specialized interface devices. These devices track head movements so that the movements and images change in a natural way with head motion, allowing for a sense of immersion. VR, which allows for controlled delivery of sensory stimulation via the therapist, is a convenient and cost-effective treatment. This review focuses on the available literature regarding the effectiveness of incorporating VR within the treatment of various psychiatric disorders, with particular attention to exposure-based intervention for anxiety disorders. A systematic literature search was conducted in order to identify studies implementing VR-based treatment for anxiety or other psychiatric disorders. This article reviews the history of the development of VR-based technology and its use within psychiatric treatment, the empirical evidence for VR-based treatment, and the benefits for using VR for psychiatric research and treatment. It also presents recommendations for how to incorporate VR into psychiatric care and discusses future directions for VR-based treatment and clinical research.

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396 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training for children with high functioning autism

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Nyaz Didehbani¹, Tandra T. Allen², Michelle R. Kandalaft², Daniel C. Krawczyk¹, Sandra B. Chapman² - Show less +1 more•Institutions (2)

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center¹, University of Texas at Dallas²

01 Sep 2016-Computers in Human Behavior

TL;DR: Results revealed improvements on measures of emotion recognition, social attribution, and executive function of analogical reasoning, and the use of a virtual reality platform offers an effective treatment option for improving social impairments commonly found in ASD.

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272 citations

Cites background from "Virtual Reality Social Cognition Tr..."

...…safe, unlimited, and commonly encountered day-to-day contexts to practice social scenarios, such as finding someone to sit with in the lunchroom or inviting someone to your birthday party (Kandalaft et al., 2013; Parsons, Mitchell,& Leonard, 2005;Wallace, Parsons, Westbury, White, & Bailey, 2010)....
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...The VR-SCT has previously been shown to improve social cognition on measures of theory of mind and affect recognition in young adults (aged 17e35) with HFA (Kandalaft et al., 2013)....
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...Based on the findings of Kandalaft et al. (2013), we hypothesized that participants would show significant improvements on measures of social cognition emotion recognition and social attribution, as these were the primary domains that showed improvement in the prior adult study of the VR-SCT....
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...First, it can provide safe, unlimited, and commonly encountered day-to-day contexts to practice social scenarios, such as finding someone to sit with in the lunchroom or inviting someone to your birthday party (Kandalaft et al., 2013; Parsons, Mitchell,& Leonard, 2005;Wallace, Parsons, Westbury, White, & Bailey, 2010)....
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...The VR-SCT has previously been shown to improve social cognition including affection recognition and ToM in young adults (Kandalaft et al., 2013)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Virtual Reality Job Interview Training in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Matthew J. Smith¹, Emily J. Ginger¹, Katherine Wright¹, Michael A. Wright¹, Julie Lounds Taylor², Laura Boteler Humm, Dale Olsen, Morris D. Bell³, Michael F. Fleming¹ - Show less +5 more•Institutions (3)

Northwestern University¹, Vanderbilt University², Yale University³

07 May 2014-Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

TL;DR: Preliminary support is indicated for the feasibility and efficacy of VR-JIT, which can be administered using computer software or via the internet, and self-reported self-confidence at a trend level.

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Abstract: The feasibility and efficacy of virtual reality job interview training (VR-JIT) was assessed in a single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Adults with autism spectrum disorder were randomized to VR-JIT (n = 16) or treatment-as-usual (TAU) (n = 10) groups. VR-JIT consisted of simulated job interviews with a virtual character and didactic training. Participants attended 90 % of laboratory-based training sessions, found VR-JIT easy to use and enjoyable, and they felt prepared for future interviews. VR-JIT participants had greater improvement during live standardized job interview role-play performances than TAU participants (p = 0.046). A similar pattern was observed for self-reported self-confidence at a trend level (p = 0.060). VR-JIT simulation performance scores increased over time (R 2 = 0.83). Results indicate preliminary support for the feasibility and efficacy of VR-JIT, which can be administered using computer software or via the internet.

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266 citations

Cites background from "Virtual Reality Social Cognition Tr..."

...Other virtual reality training systems have been designed to train social skills in individuals with ASD (Kandalaft et al. 2013; Stichter et al. 2013)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

The "Eye Avoidance" Hypothesis of Autism Face Processing.

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James W. Tanaka¹, Andrew Sung¹•Institutions (1)

University of Victoria¹

01 May 2016-Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

TL;DR: There is little evidence to suggest that individuals with autism do perceive faces holistically, and the eye avoidance hypothesis provides a plausible explanation of face recognition deficits where individuals with ASD avoid the eye region because it is perceived as socially threatening.

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Abstract: Although a growing body of research indicates that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit selective deficits in their ability to recognize facial identities and expressions, the source of their face impairment is, as yet, undetermined. In this paper, we consider three possible accounts of the autism face deficit: (1) the holistic hypothesis, (2) the local perceptual bias hypothesis and (3) the eye avoidance hypothesis. A review of the literature indicates that contrary to the holistic hypothesis, there is little evidence to suggest that individuals with autism do perceive faces holistically. The local perceptual bias account also fails to explain the selective advantage that ASD individuals demonstrate for objects and their selective disadvantage for faces. The eye avoidance hypothesis provides a plausible explanation of face recognition deficits where individuals with ASD avoid the eye region because it is perceived as socially threatening. Direct eye contact elicits a increased physiological response as indicated by heightened skin conductance and amygdala activity. For individuals with autism, avoiding the eyes is an adaptive strategy, however, this approach interferes with the ability to process facial cues of identity, expressions and intentions, exacerbating the social challenges for persons with ASD.

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215 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

JobTIPS: A Transition to Employment Program for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Dorothy Strickland, Claire D. Coles¹, Louise B. Southern²•Institutions (2)

Emory University¹, North Carolina State University²

15 Mar 2013-Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

TL;DR: Results suggest that youth who completed the JobTIPS employment program demonstrated significantly more effective verbal content skills than those who did not.

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Abstract: This study evaluated the effectiveness of an internet accessed training program that included Theory of Mind-based guidance, video models, visual supports, and virtual reality practice sessions in teaching appropriate job interview skills to individuals with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders. In a randomized study, twenty-two youth, ages 16-19, were evaluated during two employment interviews. Half received a training intervention following the initial interview and the half who served as a contrast group did not. Their performance pre and post intervention was assessed by four independent raters using a scale that included evaluation of both Content and Delivery. Results suggest that youth who completed the JobTIPS employment program demonstrated significantly more effective verbal content skills than those who did not.

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195 citations

Cites background from "Virtual Reality Social Cognition Tr..."

...and others (Golan and Baron-Cohen 2006; Kandalaft et al. 2013; Ozonoff and Miller 1995; Turner-Brown et al. 2008)....
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...Kandalaft et al. (2013) found with multiple simulated job interviews in virtual spaces, eight high functioning young adults with ASD demonstrated improved social skills....
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References

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Open Access

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Book•

Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences

[...]

Jacob Cohen¹•Institutions (1)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill¹

01 Dec 1969

TL;DR: The concepts of power analysis are discussed in this paper, where Chi-square Tests for Goodness of Fit and Contingency Tables, t-Test for Means, and Sign Test are used.

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Abstract: Contents: Prefaces. The Concepts of Power Analysis. The t-Test for Means. The Significance of a Product Moment rs (subscript s). Differences Between Correlation Coefficients. The Test That a Proportion is .50 and the Sign Test. Differences Between Proportions. Chi-Square Tests for Goodness of Fit and Contingency Tables. The Analysis of Variance and Covariance. Multiple Regression and Correlation Analysis. Set Correlation and Multivariate Methods. Some Issues in Power Analysis. Computational Procedures.

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115,069 citations

"Virtual Reality Social Cognition Tr..." refers methods in this paper

...Effect sizes were interpreted using Cohen (1988) metrics: 0.20–0.49 as small effect, 0.50–0.79 as medium effect and 0.80 as large effect....
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Reference Entry•DOI•

Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence

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Ron Dumont¹, John O. Willis², Kathleen Veizel, Jamie Zibulsky•Institutions (2)

Fairleigh Dickinson University¹, Rivier University²

07 Feb 2014

6,430 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The ''Reading the Mind in the Eyes'' Test Revised Version: A Study with Normal Adults, and Adults with Asperger Syndrome or High-functioning Autism

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Simon Baron-Cohen¹, Sally Wheelwright¹, Jacqueline J Hill¹, Yogini Raste¹, Ian Plumb¹ - Show less +1 more•Institutions (1)

University of Cambridge¹

01 Feb 2001-Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

TL;DR: The Revised Eyes Test has improved power to detect subtle individual differences in social sensitivity and was inversely correlated with the Autism Spectrum Quotient (the AQ), a measure of autistic traits in adults of normal intelligence.

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Abstract: In 1997 in this Journal we published the ‘‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’’ Test, as a measure of adult ‘‘mentalising’’. Whilst that test succeeded in discriminating a group of adults with Asperger syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA) from controls, it suered from several psychometric problems. In this paper these limitations are rectified by revising the test. The Revised Eyes Test was administered to a group of adults with AS or HFA (N fl 15) and again discriminated these from a large number of normal controls (N fl 239) drawn from dierent samples. In both the clinical and control groups the Eyes Test was inversely correlated with the Autism Spectrum Quotient (the AQ), a measure of autistic traits in adults of normal intelligence. The Revised Eyes Test has improved power to detect subtle individual dierences in social sensitivity.

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4,858 citations

"Virtual Reality Social Cognition Tr..." refers methods in this paper

...The Reading the Mind in the Eyes (Eyes; Baron-Cohen et al. 2001) presented photographs of actors’ eyes and asked participants to match cognitive states or complex emotions (e.g., ‘‘desiring’’)....
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...Materials...
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Journal Article•DOI•

An experimental study of apparent behavior

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Fritz Heider, Marianne L. Simmel

01 Apr 1944-American Journal of Psychology

2,583 citations

"Virtual Reality Social Cognition Tr..." refers methods in this paper

...In this experimental measure, adapted from the original videos of Heider and Simmel (1944), participants are asked to narrate the movements of inanimate shapes presented as short videos on a computer screen....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Severe impairments of social interaction and associated abnormalities in children : epidemiology and classification

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Lorna Wing¹, Judith Gould¹•Institutions (1)

Medical Research Council¹

01 Mar 1979-Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

TL;DR: The prevalence, in children aged under 15, of severe impairments of social interaction, language abnormalities, and repetitive stereotyped behaviors was investigated in an area of London, and a system of classification based on quality ofsocial interaction was considered.

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Abstract: The prevalence, in children aged under 15, of severe impairments of social interaction, language abnormalities, and repetitive stereotyped behaviors was investigated in an area of London. A “socially impaired” group (more than half of whom were severely retarded) and a comparison group of “sociable severely mentally retarded” children were identified. Mutism or echolalia, and repetitive stereotyped behaviors were found in almost all the socially impaired children, but to a less marked extent in a minority of the sociable severely retarded. Certain organic conditions were found more often in the socially impaired group. A subgroup with a history of Kanner's early childhood autism could be identified reliably but shared many abnormalities with other socially impaired children. The relationships between mental retardation, typical autism, and other conditions involving social impairment were discussed, and a system of classification based on quality of social interaction was considered.

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2,476 citations

"Virtual Reality Social Cognition Tr..." refers background in this paper

...These interventions may also be somewhat limited by the participant’s imagination, which has been noted to be impacted in this population (Herrera et al. 2008; Wing and Gould 1979)....
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...Keywords Virtual reality Autism Asperger Intervention Treatment Adult...
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