scholarly journals The Development of an Escape Room–Based Serious Game to Trigger Social Interaction and Communication Between High-Functioning Children With Autism and Their Peers: Iterative Design Approach

10.2196/19765 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e19765
Author(s):  
Gijs Terlouw ◽  
Derek Kuipers ◽  
Job van 't Veer ◽  
Jelle T Prins ◽  
Jean Pierre E N Pierie
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Boundary Object ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Iterative Design ◽  
Children With Asd

Background Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have social deficits that affect social interactions, communication, and relationships with peers. Many existing interventions focus mainly on improving social skills in clinical settings. In addition to the direct instruction–based programs, activity-based programs could be of added value, especially to bridge the relational gap between children with ASD and their peers. Objective The aim of this study is to describe an iterative design process for the development of an escape room–based serious game as a boundary object. The purpose of the serious game is to facilitate direct communication between high-functioning children with ASD and their peers, for the development of social skills on the one hand and strengthening relationships with peers through a fun and engaging activity on the other hand. Methods This study is structured around the Design Research Framework to develop an escape room through an iterative-incremental process. With a pool of 37 children, including 23 children diagnosed with ASD (5 girls) and 14 children (7 girls) attending special primary education for other additional needs, 4 testing sessions around different prototypes were conducted. The beta prototype was subsequently reviewed by experts (n=12). During the design research process, we examined in small steps whether the developed prototypes are feasible and whether they have the potential to achieve the formulated goals of different stakeholders. Results By testing various prototypes, several insights were found and used to improve the design. Insights were gained in finding a fitting and appealing theme for the children, composing the content, and addressing different constraints in applying the goals from the children’s and therapeutic perspectives. Eventually, a multiplayer virtual escape room, AScapeD, was developed. Three children can play the serious game in the same room on tablets. The first test shows that the game enacts equal cooperation and communication among the children. Conclusions This paper presents an iterative design process for AScapeD. AScapeD enacts equal cooperation and communication in a playful way between children with ASD and their peers. The conceptual structure of an escape room contributes to the natural emergence of communication and cooperation. The iterative design process has been beneficial for finding a constructive game structure to address all formulated goals, and it contributed to the design of a serious game as a boundary object that mediates the various objectives of different stakeholders. We present 5 lessons learned from the design process. The developed prototype is feasible and has the potential to achieve the goals of the serious game.

scholarly journals The Development of a Virtual Escape Room to Trigger Social Interaction and Communication between High-Functioning Children with Autism and their Peers: An Iterative Design Approach (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gijs Terlouw ◽  
Derek Kuipers ◽  
Job van 't Veer ◽  
Jelle T Prins ◽  
Jean Pierre E N Pierie
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Boundary Object ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Iterative Design ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Right

BACKGROUND Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have social deficits that affect social interaction, communication, and relationships with peers. Many interventions focus mainly on improving social skills in a clinical setting. However, developed social skills are not necessarily applied to children's daily life at school, and children with ASD face challenges in forming and maintaining relationships with peers. In addition to the direct-instruction-based programs, more activity-based programs could be of added value, especially to bridge the relational gap between children with ASD and their peers. OBJECTIVE This paper describes an iterative design process of the development of a virtual escape room as an activity-based serious game and describes the development of a game as a boundary object. The purpose of the serious game is to facilitate and trigger direct communication between high-functioning children with ASD and their peers. During the design research process, we examined in small steps whether the developed prototypes are feasible and whether they have the potential to achieve the objective of the serious game. METHODS This study is structured around the Design Research Framework to develop the escape room through an iterative-incremental process. Three playful test sessions (n=12; n=21; n=12) with different prototypes were initiated to eventually develop a beta-prototype. The beta-prototype was subsequently tested with children (n=12) and experts (n=12). RESULTS By testing various prototypes, including a paper prototype and an augmented reality prototype, different insights were found to get the design right. Insights were gathered to find the right theme, content, practical constraints, and shape of the serious game. Eventually, a multiplayer virtual escape room, AScapeD, was developed. Three children can play the serious game together in the same room on tablet devices. The first tests show that the game triggers social interaction and communication between the children. CONCLUSIONS This paper presented the iterative design process of AScapeD. AScapeD triggers social interaction and connection in a playful way between children with ASD and their peers. The conceptual structure of an escape room contributes to the natural emergence of communication and cooperation. The iterative design process has been beneficial to finding the right design, getting the design right, and contributed to the design of a serious game as a boundary object which mediates the various objectives of different stakeholders. The developed prototype is feasible and has the potential to achieve the aim of the serious game.

scholarly journals Design of a Digital Comic Creator (It’s Me) to Facilitate Social Skills Training for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Design Research Approach

10.2196/17260 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. e17260
Author(s):  
Gijs Terlouw ◽  
Job TB van 't Veer ◽  
Jelle T Prins ◽  
Derek A Kuipers ◽  
Jean-Pierre E N Pierie
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Children With Asd

Background Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face difficulties in social situations and are often lagging in terms of social skills. Many interventions designed for children with ASD emphasize improving social skills. Although many interventions demonstrate that targeted social skills can be improved in clinical settings, developed social skills are not necessarily applied in children's daily lives at school, sometimes because classmates continue to show negative bias toward children with ASD. Children with ASD do not blame the difficult social situations they encounter on their lack of social skills; their main goal is to be accepted by peers. Objective This study aims to design a comic creator—It's me—that would create comics to serve as transformational boundary objects to facilitate and enact a horizontal interaction structure between high-functioning children with ASD and their peers, aiming to increase mutual understanding between children at school. Methods This research project and this study are structured around the Design Research Framework in order to develop the comic through an iterative-incremental process. Three test sessions, which included 13, 6, and 47 children, respectively, were initiated where the focus shifted in time from usability during the first two tests to the initial assessment of acceptance and feasibility in the third session. A stakeholder review, which included six experts, took place after the second test session. Results A digital comic creator, It's me, was produced within this study. Children can create their own personal comic by filling in a digital questionnaire. Based on concepts of peer support, psychoeducation, and horizontal interaction, It's me has a rigorous base of underlying concepts that have been translated into design. Based on the first test sessions, the comic has shown its potential to initiate personal conversations between children. Teachers are convinced that It's me can be of added value in their classrooms. Conclusions It's me aims to initiate more in-depth conversations between peers, which should lead to more mutual understanding and better relationships between children with ASD and their peers. The first test sessions showed that It's me has the potential to enact horizontal interaction and greater understanding among peers. It's me was designed as a boundary object, aiming to connect the objectives of different stakeholders, and to trigger reflection and transformation learning mechanisms. The applied design research approach might be of added value in the acceptance and adoption of the intervention because children, professionals, and teachers see added value in the tool, each from their own perspectives.

scholarly journals Design of a Digital Comic Creator (It’s Me) to Facilitate Social Skills Training for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Design Research Approach (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gijs Terlouw ◽  
Job TB van 't Veer ◽  
Jelle T Prins ◽  
Derek A Kuipers ◽  
Jean-Pierre E N Pierie
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Children With Asd

BACKGROUND Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face difficulties in social situations and are often lagging in terms of social skills. Many interventions designed for children with ASD emphasize improving social skills. Although many interventions demonstrate that targeted social skills can be improved in clinical settings, developed social skills are not necessarily applied in children's daily lives at school, sometimes because classmates continue to show negative bias toward children with ASD. Children with ASD do not blame the difficult social situations they encounter on their lack of social skills; their main goal is to be accepted by peers. OBJECTIVE This study aims to design a comic creator—<i>It's me</i>—that would create comics to serve as transformational boundary objects to facilitate and enact a horizontal interaction structure between high-functioning children with ASD and their peers, aiming to increase mutual understanding between children at school. METHODS This research project and this study are structured around the Design Research Framework in order to develop the comic through an iterative-incremental process. Three test sessions, which included 13, 6, and 47 children, respectively, were initiated where the focus shifted in time from usability during the first two tests to the initial assessment of acceptance and feasibility in the third session. A stakeholder review, which included six experts, took place after the second test session. RESULTS A digital comic creator, <i>It's me</i>, was produced within this study. Children can create their own personal comic by filling in a digital questionnaire. Based on concepts of peer support, psychoeducation, and horizontal interaction, <i>It's me</i> has a rigorous base of underlying concepts that have been translated into design. Based on the first test sessions, the comic has shown its potential to initiate personal conversations between children. Teachers are convinced that <i>It's me</i> can be of added value in their classrooms. CONCLUSIONS <i>It's me</i> aims to initiate more in-depth conversations between peers, which should lead to more mutual understanding and better relationships between children with ASD and their peers. The first test sessions showed that <i>It's me</i> has the potential to enact horizontal interaction and greater understanding among peers. <i>It's me</i> was designed as a boundary object, aiming to connect the objectives of different stakeholders, and to trigger reflection and transformation learning mechanisms. The applied design research approach might be of added value in the acceptance and adoption of the intervention because children, professionals, and teachers see added value in the tool, each from their own perspectives.

Simulation Games as Interventions in the Promotion of Social Skills Development among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

2014 ◽  
pp. 160-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Kinsell ◽  
Boaventura DaCosta ◽  
Angelique Nasah
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Great Difficulty ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Social Skill Development ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

It has been suggested that game technology can be successfully used to aid in social skills development among those with special needs. Based on the body of research available, such technology has been used in social skills development with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Furthermore, there is research to suggest that certain game technology, such as simulation-based games, can enhance learning and the retention of knowledge, which is of important benefit, given children with ASD show great difficulty in generalizing newly learned skills and knowledge from the instructional to the functional setting. However, at the time of this publication, very little empirical evidence exists that has specifically investigated the use of simulation-based games as interventions in the promotion of social skill development among children with ASD.

A Viable Option?

2014 ◽  
pp. 143-162
Author(s):  
Julie E. N. Irish
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Viable Option ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Single User

This chapter considers whether a computer-aided technology, single-user virtual environments, can provide a viable option to teach social skills to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Viability is discussed in terms of key themes found in the literature: evidence-basis, generalizability, cost effectiveness, appropriateness for children with ASD, user experience, teacher’s contribution, and usefulness for caregivers. A matrix is developed to provide a viability rating for each theme. The chapter concludes that evidence-basis and generalizability for single-user virtual environments as an intervention to teach social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder is weak but that cost effectiveness, appropriateness to teenage children with ASD, positive experience of the user, and potential usefulness for caregivers is strong, whilst the teacher’s contribution is a mixed rating between ease of use for the teacher and the high one-on-one time commitment required.

scholarly journals Investigating SOcial Competence and Isolation in children with Autism taking part in LEGO-based therapy clubs In School Environments (I-SOCIALISE): study protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. e030471
Author(s):  
Danielle Varley ◽  
Barry Wright ◽  
Cindy Cooper ◽  
David Marshall ◽  
Katie Biggs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Usual Care ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
School Level ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Social

IntroductionSocial skills training interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically focus on a skills deficit model rather than building on existing skills or encouraging the child to seek their own solutions. LEGO-based therapy is a child-oriented intervention to help improve social interactional skills and reduce isolation. The therapy is designed for school-age children with ASD and uses group-based play in a school setting to encourage peer relationships and social learning. Despite the reported potential benefits of LEGO-based therapy in a prior randomised controlled trial (RCT) and its adoption by many schools, the evidence to support its effectiveness on the social and emotional well-being of children with ASD is limited and includes no assessment of cost-effectiveness.Methods and analysisThis multicentre, pragmatic, cluster RCT will randomise 240 participants (aged 7–15 years) with a clinical diagnosis of ASD to receive usual care or LEGO-based therapy with usual care. Cluster randomisation will be conducted on a school level, randomising each school as opposed to each individual child within a school. All prospective participants will be screened for eligibility before assenting to the study (with parents giving informed consent on behalf of their child). All participants will be followed up at 20 and 52 weeks after randomisation to assess for social, emotional and behavioural changes. The primary outcome measure is the social skills subscale of the Social Skills Improvement System completed by a teacher or teaching assistant associated with participating children at the 20-week follow-up time point.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval has been obtained via the University of York Research Ethics Committee. The results of the trial will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and will be disseminated to participating families, education practitioners and the third sector including voluntary and community organisations.Trial registration numberISRCTN64852382; Pre-results.

scholarly journals Computer- and Robot-Assisted Therapies to Aid Social and Intellectual Functioning of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan DiPietro ◽  
Arpad Kelemen ◽  
Yulan Liang ◽  
Cecilia Sik-Lanyi
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Robot Assisted ◽  
The Past ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Social

Background and objectives: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience challenges with social interactions, a core feature of the disorder. Social skills therapy has been shown to be helpful. Over the past several years, computer-assisted and robot-assisted therapies have been infiltrating the social skills teaching environment. Rapid progress in the field of technology, especially in the robotics area, offers tremendous possibilities for innovation and treatment or even education for individuals with ASD. This paper’s purpose is to drive awareness of these innovative interventions in order to support the social lives of children with ASD. The aims of the paper are identifying (1) the types of Information Technology platforms that are being evaluated in computer and robot-assisted therapies for children with ASD; (2) the various disciplines or professions studying and utilizing these computer and robot-assisted social skill therapies; (3) the outcomes being evaluated in each trial; and (4) if results demonstrate benefits to children with autism. Materials and Methods: PubMed, CINAHL, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases were searched for clinical trials published over the past five years. Search terms incorporated the subject intersection of autism, and computer or robot-assisted therapy. Results were mined for pediatric populations only and study designs establishing controlled comparisons. Results: Eighteen unique international studies were identified that utilize robot interventions (11 studies) and serious computer game interventions (seven studies). Most demonstrated promising results in improving outcomes for children with ASD. Study implications reveal a rapidly evolving assistive technology for ASD social skills therapy. Conclusions: These interventions show considerable promise, but more effectiveness and cost effectiveness research of high quality should be carried out with larger numbers of children. Also, further studies are necessary to evaluate these technologies’ effectiveness amongst adults with ASD and within unique subsets of the higher functioning autism population.

Social Skills Instruments for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca West ◽  
Michael J Silverman
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Critical Interpretive Synthesis

Abstract Identifying and critically analyzing the most frequently used social skills psychometric instruments (SSPI) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can inform future music therapy research and clinical practice. Therefore, the initial purpose of this critical interpretive synthesis was to identify the SSPI most frequently used as dependent measures in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (JADD) for children with ASD from 2012 to 2018. Results indicated that the Social Responsiveness Scale (n = 35), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (n = 19), and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (n = 15) were the most frequently used instruments. Congruent with critical interpretive synthesis methodology, we then identified the psychometric properties and advantages and disadvantages of the 9 most commonly used instruments. To compare these results with the existing music therapy literature, we also identified nonmusical SSPI used as dependent measures in music therapy research for children with ASD in studies published between 2012 and 2018. In comparing the data sets, music therapy researchers used 5 of the 9 SSPI we identified from our JADD review. Understanding frequently used SSPI has applications for consultation and communication with other professionals as well as how future music therapy research is conducted. Implications for clinical practice, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are provided.

scholarly journals Formation of emotionally-valued lexis in high-functioning ASD preschoolers

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-48
Author(s):  
V.M. Samoilova ◽  
Y.A. Kostenkova ◽  
E.K. Lobacheva
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Moral Norms ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Adequate Understanding ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

Limited use of emotionally-valued lexis of speaking children with autism spectrum disorders indicates the lack of understanding and assimilation of the moral norms of society, because words determine representations of objects and phenomena. Adequate understanding of emotionally-valued words and correct use of them in children with ASD are crucial for adaptation and socialization in the conditions of modern social environment. Authors disclose the features of the work on the formation of emotionally-valued lexis in senior preschoolers with ASD on the basis of a training experiment conducted in Center for Curative Pedagogics. The methods, tricks and conditions of correctional and habilitation work with 14 children at each stage are described in detail. Specific practical materials and recommendations about formation of emotionally-valued lexis are given.

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