A BRIEF REVIEW & CASE STUDY: The use of virtual environments for - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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A BRIEF REVIEW & CASE STUDY: The use of virtual environments for improved communication and social skills - for people with autism Nigel Newbutt Lecturer, University College Dublin, Ireland Visiting Senior Lecturer, University of Greenwich,

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A BRIEF REVIEW & CASE STUDY:

The use of virtual environments for improved communication and social skills - for people with autism Nigel Newbutt

Lecturer, University College Dublin, Ireland Visiting Senior Lecturer, University of Greenwich, England

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

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OVERVIEW

  • Introduction
  • AT and Virtual Spaces
  • Virtual Worlds
  • Case Study
  • Future Directions
  • Conclusions

2

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BEFORE WE START

  • Some aberrations and acronyms used in this presentation:
  • AT = assistive technology
  • ASC = autism spectrum condition
  • VE = virtual environment
  • CVE = collaborative virtual environment
  • VW = virtual world
  • VR = virtual reality
  • SL = Second Life
  • ToM = Theory of Mind

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INTRODUCTION

  • AT have helped to aid

communication for children and adults with autism

  • VR, VE, CVE, 3D avatars
  • Virtual spaces to help people with

autism

  • Explore, interact, understand
  • Generalise social meaning and

interaction

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ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

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  • Assistive technology is technology

used by individuals with disabilities in order to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible.

  • Can include mobility devices such

as walkers and wheelchairs, as well as hardware, software, and peripherals that assist people with disabilities in accessing computers or

  • ther information technologies.

(University of Washington 2006: 1)

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ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY & VR TECHNOLOGY

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  • Some researchers have

considered the use of VR technology as a form of AT, and in considering the definition on the previous slide, we can see how the two link together

  • Research in fields including:
  • Neurological rehabilitation; see

Rose et al (1996)

  • Instructional procedures; Dotterer

(2000)

  • Autism and Asperger’s; Moore et

al (2005); Parsons et al (2005)

http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html

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REVIEW OF VIRTUAL SPACES

  • VR - as a learning tool to help

engage children with autism

  • Responsive to computer

technology

  • acceptance of this technology
  • immersed themselves
  • hand and head controls coordinated
  • learning and interaction
  • used across a variety of scenes

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Strickland et al (1996)

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REVIEW OF VIRTUAL SPACES

  • More recently Wallace et al (2010)

considered an Immersive Virtual Environment (IVE)

  • This included a ‘Blue Room’ where

participants were almost totally immersed

  • Similar responses between TD and ASC

groups

  • Judging social situations was still poor for

ASC participants

  • Positive feedback from all participants and

parents

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REVIEW OF VIRTUAL SPACES

  • CVEs
  • CVEs to enhance and improve

communication / emotional recognition in people with autism

  • Embedded a 3D face
  • Considered the theories of

Ekman - 6 universal expressions

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REVIEW OF VIRTUAL SPACES

  • Proposed using as a virtual head

in their work (7-16 y.o):

  • emotions can be visualised with

limited facial features,

  • recognition rates (of virtual faces)

are comparable to real-life images,

  • some expressions are easily

recognisable and potentially build a basis for emotionally expressive avatars in CVEs,

  • 88% of the participants were able to

recognise expression(s).

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REVIEW OF VIRTUAL SPACES

  • VEs and CVEs in conclusion

can be used as:

  • an assistive technology
  • educational technology
  • a means to address ToM

(Fabri and Moore 2005) 11

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REVIEW OF VIRTUAL SPACES

  • VE - Parsons et al / Cromby

et al (15 y.o)

  • treated like a game
  • generalisation of skills
  • shopping task + cafe - eg.
  • teach transferable skills
  • single-user environments

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REVIEW OF VIRTUAL SPACES

  • VE - Parsons et al (2005/2006)

Mitchell et al (2007)

  • from this body of work we know that:
  • users are able and happy to use computers

as an interface

  • the first time VEs are used in a classroom

context

  • involve qualitative analysis (considering

‘their’ views)

  • interviewed participants after using a VE in

a cafe and on a bus - then compared to their responses in ‘real-life’

  • concluded that VEs can help to teach social

skills

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WHAT DOES THIS TELL US?

  • People (children) on the

autism spectrum are:

  • able to use VEs, CVEs, VRs
  • happy to accept VEs as

representations of reality

  • able to become immersed

(compared to typically developing peers)

  • able to communicate and adhere

to some social conventions

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WHAT DOES THIS TELL US?

  • Graphics can (and should) be

made as realistic as possible

  • Some skills are generalisable

(only a few so far)

  • Design should involve users

(to some degree)

  • Integrating to a school

setting is desirable - to achieve best outcomes (aligned to educational goals)

  • In summary...

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CONCLUSIONS

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  • Advantages afforded by VRTs:
  • Increased focused attention
  • Increase in-seat behaviour
  • Role play
  • Testing social / communication skills
  • Control of input and navigation
  • Secure and free from ‘social’ complications
  • Some possible issues:
  • Agitation
  • Lack of immersive behaviours
  • Graphics can hinder immersion and ‘playability’
  • Only off the shelf VEs available (bespoke)
  • Limited design input from ASC users

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VIRTUAL WORLDS

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VIRTUAL WORLDS?

  • Virtual ‘spaces’ can contribute to

expressive and immersive behaviours of people with ASCs

  • Virtual Worlds are being used by these

communities, but to date no formal studies have identified how and why users with ASC interact and behave

  • It can be argued that superior graphics,

expressive tools, and engaging interfaces could offer something to the ASC community but offering something more (a greater number of people to interact with), group interactions, testing a broader set of social skills, etc...18

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VIRTUAL WORLDS?

  • In a very brief correspondence

Fusar-Poli et al (2008) hypothesise that Second Life could be used to “develop social and communicative skills of autistic people”

  • They go on to suggest

affordances for users with autism -- along the same lines as researchers such as Cobb, Parsons, Moore, Fabri, do:

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VIRTUAL WORLDS?

20

  • “…it allows anonymous social

interactions, and provides high levels of social interactivity but without complex linguistic and social-behavioural processing necessary for face-to-face conversations”

  • “levels the playing field for

autistic people” in that it offers a new space to rehearse social skills

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VIRTUAL WORLDS?

  • Some others working in this

area include:

  • Bignell (SL)
  • DeAngelis (SL) - therapy

intervention

  • Gillen et al (Teen Grid) -

communication, teamwork, leadership, creativity

  • There are spaces/places in SL for

people with ASCs (awareness centre, groups, support groups)

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

  • Worked with a school in Surrey

(Linden Bridge, Worcester Park)

  • Established a case study group

(15-16 year olds)

  • Aim to provide an appropriate tool,

that would last (legacy)

  • Ensure technical barriers and

issues were overcome and roadmaps provided for others in this area

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

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CASE STUDY

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CASE STUDY

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  • Description of case study:
  • 15-16 y.o (ASC and TD)
  • 6 male, 2 female (8 total)
  • SL
  • Embedded to classroom
  • Designed with users
  • Safe and secure
  • Several spaces on the island to

include: cafe, shops, zoo, fairground, train, station, underwater world, etc...

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CASE STUDY

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CASE STUDY

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CASE STUDY - VW CONSIDERATIONS

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  • Deciding on a platform:
  • Evaluation of VWs are

important

  • Identify user-needs and

contextual needs

  • Provide a platform that works

and will not become problematic

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CASE STUDY

31

Classroom Observations User design/ development Technical issues Integration Data collection

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CASE STUDY

32

  • Users were asked to work in

pairs, and carry out a task (involving some form of educational outcome or social interaction)

  • Initiation, sitting in a cafe,

queuing for a drink, turn taking, etc.

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CASE STUDY

33 Representation of Self: 1 How do users on the spectrum graphically represent themselves through the creation of an avatar? 2 What aspects of a virtual world do children with autism identify as useful for communicating – and why? Communication and Interaction: 3 Do children with autism focus on particular elements in-world that differ from their typical interactions in a classroom? 4 Will children on the autism spectrum use communication tools available within a virtual world, and if so use them in a socially appropriately manner? Reflection: 5 To what degree are children with autism able to reflect on differences through their interactions and approach to communication with others?

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CASE STUDY

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  • Some observations
  • Mirroring of behaviours (in some

instances) -- which is the opposite of what VE/CVE studies have shown

  • Increased conversation and

communication (teachers being able to converse with students for the first time)

  • Increased collaboration between peers

(through work tasks; zoo)

  • Identification of basic social-norms

(able to identify and maintain social norms; in some instances)

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35

  • Representations of self

(avatars)

  • This varied
  • Some went to extremes and
  • thers not so
  • This included creative use of the

design tools

  • Customisation of clothes and

face

CASE STUDY

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CASE STUDY

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CASE STUDY

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FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

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VWS CAN OFFER...

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  • This study considered:
  • Design of avatar/s
  • Engaging tasks - group and

collaborative tasks (with school facilitators)

  • Embed into the classroom - and

maybe beyond?

  • What students might like to see in

VWs

  • Further qualitative information/data

to support the above notions

  • Cont....

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40

  • Easy to use and access

emotion tools - expressive

  • Easy to navigate and locate

people / places

  • Provide a ‘safe’ space for

children with autism

VWS CAN OFFER...

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SLIDE 41
  • 1. How can virtual worlds be

modified and introduced into a classroom setting, in schools for children with autism?

  • 2. How can virtual worlds be

used to encourage learning and participation in children with autism?

  • 3. Can social skills (including

emotional expression and recognition) be taught through the use of a virtual world?

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THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO...

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  • Having considered previous

and current studies:

  • VRT has proven to be and is

proving to be a useful tool for users with ASCs

  • They have been used in many

contexts and with different technology

  • Potential for these technologies

increase as the availability and costs of technology decrease

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IN SUMMARY

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  • Need to think about long-term integration
  • Develop a platform that can be used by

schools (if and when)

  • Design material that makes it easy to use;

and integrate to schools

  • Help ‘train’ and convince teachers/schools of

the benefits (and of course parents and children)

  • Understand that even though there are

some cognitive impairments [in these user groups] -- teenagers are more than able/ prepared to engage with digital media

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PERSONAL REFECTIONS

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USEFUL WEBSITES...

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www.lindenlab.com www.virtaut.co.uk www.secondlife.com www.hao2.eu http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2006/mar/08/ guardiansocietysupplement

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...AND READING

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Ekman, P. & Friesen, W.V. (1978) Facial Action Coding System. Consulting Psychologists Press. Fabri, M., Moore, D., & Hobbs, D. (2004) Mediating the expression of emotion in educational collaborative virtual environments: an experimental study. Virtual Reality, 7: 66-81 Fabri, M. & Moore, D. (2005). The use of emotionally expressive avatars in Collaborative Virtual Environments, in Proceeding of Symposium on Empathic Interaction with Synthetic Characters, Artificial Intelligence and Social Behaviour Convention 2005 (AISB 2005). University of Hertfordshire, April 2005 Fusar-Poli, P., Cortesi, M., Borgwardt, S. & Politi, P. (2008). Second Life virtual world: A heaven for autistic people? Medical Hypotheses, 71 (6): 980-981 Gillen, J., Twining, P., Ferguson, R., Butters, O. W., Clough, G., Gaved. M., Peachey, A., Seamans, D. & Sheehy, K. (2009). A learning community for teens on a virtual island - The Schome Park Teen Second Life Pilot project. E-Learning Papers. 15: 1-15 Howlin, P (1998). Psychological and Educational Treatments for Autism. Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39: 307-322. Kerr, S. J. (2002). Scaffolding − Design issues in single & collaborative virtual environments for social skills

  • learning. In: Eighth Eurographics Workshop on Virtual Environments. S. Müller, W. Stürzlinger (Editors)

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Millen, L., Edlin-White, R. & Cobb, S. (2010). The Development of Educational Collaborative Virtual Environments for Children with Autism. Proceedings of the 5th Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology. Cambridge 2010 Mitchell, P., Parsons, S. & Leonard, A. (2007). Using Virtual Environments for Teaching Social Understanding to 6 Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders 37: 589-600 Moore, D., Cheng, Y., McGrath, P, & Powell, N.J. (2005a). Collaborative Virtual Environment Technology for People with Autism. In: Pruski. A & Knops. A, eds. Assistive Technology: From Virtuality to Reality. Amsterdam: IOS Press. 442-448 Moore, D., Cheng, Y., McGrath, P, & Powell, N.J. (2005b). Collaborative Virtual Environment Technology for People with Autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. 20: 231 - 243 Moore, D., McGrath, P and Thorpe, J (2000). Computer-Aided Learning for People with Autism – a Framework for Research and Development. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 37: 218-228

...AND READING

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Parsons, S., Beardon, L., Neale, H. R., Reynard, G., Eastgate, R., & Wilson, J. R., et al. (2000). Development of social skills amongst adults with Asperger's Syndrome using virtual environments: the 'AS Interactive' project. In P. Sharkey, A. Cesarani, L. Pugnetti, & A. Rizzo (Eds.), Proceedings of the 3rd ICDVRAT (pp. 163-170). Sardinia, Italy: University of Reading. Parsons, S., Mitchell, P. & Leonard, A. (2004). The Use and Understanding of Virtual Environments by Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34 (4): 449-466 Parsons, S., Mitchell, P. & Leonard, A. (2005). Do adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders adhere to social conventions in virtual environments? Autism, 9: 95 -117 Parson, S., Leonard, A. & Mitchell, P. (2006). Virtual environments for social skills training: comments from two adolescents with autistic spectrum disorder. Computers and Education, 47: 186-206 Parsons, S., Guldberg, K., Macleod, A., Jones, G., Prunty, A. & Balfe, T. (2009). International review of the literature of evidence of best practice provision in the education of persons with autistic spectrum disorders. National Council for Special Education. Ireland.

...AND READING

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Nigel Newbutt Lecturer and Researcher University College Dublin www.ucd.ie nigel.newbutt@ucd.ie 00353 (0) 1716 7945 SL: Melish Effingham Skype: nnewbutt SMARTlab Research Institute www.smartlab-ie.com

Tuesday, 14 February 2012