Virtual Driving Game: Teaches Teens with ASD to Drive?

       The game I would like to discuss is designed to help those with ASD learn to drive! Imagine that… Now people with ASD are considered to be on a spectrum for a reason and one of the reasons is the diversity of characteristics each individual may demonstrate. Therefore, some are considered very high functioning and some are not. However, the principal behind a virtual game is the same for all those on the spectrum and that is to begin to acquire a skill in the virtual world that can be transcended into the real world.

       The particular game that I am referring to in this post was created by Nilanjan Sarkar, a mechanical engineer at Vanderbilt University. His project was published in the Journal of Transactions on Interactive Intelligent Systems. The full article related to his project can be read by using the link at the bottom of the post.

       The game is basically designed to help those with ASD improve their rapid reaction skills. Now, at this point no really expects most people with ASD to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive it through town because even though most towns are not exactly “Manhattan” they are still filled with uncertainty and seemingly endless distractions that demand immediate reaction that is fairly accurate and filled with proper judgment.

       However, in a virtual world there isn’t anything in the real world that can be damaged but the learning and emotional response can be made similar to real life situations. Therefore, the virtual game becomes the starting point or the platform for future learning. Sakar said, “His lab’s games are only part of the equation, but potentially an important start.”

       The article mentions a young man from Nashville named Sam. Sam played the game for approximately a year or so and is now taking drivers education. Sam is going to begin the transition process of merging the virtual with the actual…

Reference:

http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/2900000/2892636/a3-wade.pdf?ip=173.62.18.137&id=2892636&acc=CHORUS&key=4D4702B0C3E38B35%2E4D4702B0C3E38B35%2E4D4702B0C3E38B35%2E6D218144511F3437&CFID=918538308&CFTOKEN=74618297&__acm__=1491012721_cd78178e328c9367b98f9e0996779a62

Week 10 Interview: Adolescent and Social Media

This interview was with a fourteen-year-old young lady named Stephanie. Stephanie did not personally spend too much time using social media but did know enough about it too have an insightful and extensive opinion. 

Q1. What does social media mean to you?

Stephanie: Social media is a place where you share photos and experiences with people you mainly do not know. I mean your real friends are there as well but many of the people in the site are strangers.

Q2. If you were going to use social media which site do you think you would use and what would you put on the site?

Stephanie: I would use Facebook because it is easy to use and I would post mainly pictures.

Q3. What kind of pictures? Would that be pictures of yourself?

Stephanie: Well, I know that you can keep the page private where only certain people can see you such as close friends and I would post pictures of myself. Otherwise I would post mostly pictures that I like but have no direct reference to me.

Q4. Do you have friends that use social media?

Stephanie: Yes, I have friends that use social media, my older brother uses social media and even my mother uses social media. My mother actually uses it daily and spends a good deal of time staring at her iPhone viewing Facebook. She likes to see the political comments.

Q5. Do you think social media makes people more connected to each other?

Stephanie: Not really. I mean it could seem that way but it seems to me that your not really connecting with another person on a personal or intimate level. Your mostly just posting stuff that’ often not that important.

Q6. Do you think social media could have a negative effect?

Stephanie: Yes. It can be used to hurt people if it is used for bullying and thing like that.

Q7. Is social media used in your school and if so how is it used?

Stephanie: In my school, it isn’t used too much. There is one English teacher that tries to encourage it though. She would like us to share homework assignments and perhaps support each other if we need help but it is optional and I do not participate. 

In a sense, I guess Stephanie is a bit of an anomaly because she is certainly growing up in a digital world and does know about it but at the same she is not enveloped by it. I asked her one last question. 

Q8. Do you think you’ll ever use more social media?

Stephanie: Yes, if there is a more a specific reason for it such as planning an event, especially one that’s inviting many people or perhaps to announce the opening of a new business. I think social media is great for things like that but as for communicating I would rather communicate with my friends face to face on the phone. I especially like Facetime!

Week 8 Journal Post

Annotated Bibliography

Kandalaft, M. R., Didehbani, N., Krawczyk, D. C., Allen, T. T., & Chapman, S. B. (2012). Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training for Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,43(1), 34-44. doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1544-6

The article focuses on young adults with high functioning autism. The purpose of the study is to enhance social skills, social cognition and social functioning. The participants are immersed into virtual environments that resemble people in their immediate reality and given the opportunity to engage and interact. 

Greffou, S., Bertone, A., Hahler, E., Hanssens, J., Mottron, L., & Faubert, J. (2011). Postural Hypo-Reactivity in Autism is Contingent on Development and Visual Environment: A Fully Immersive Virtual Reality Study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,42(6), 961-970. doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1326-6

The study uses VE to measure the bodily movement of ASD participants in reaction to stimuli such as: CAVE which is an 8 x 8 x 8 feet room including three walls and a floor that serve as surfaces for the projection of images. The images coupled with sound effected the bodily movement of the participants. Thus, helping the researchers better understand how the autistic brain processes image and sound in relation to motor movement

  

Bekele, E., Crittendon, J., Zheng, Z., Swanson, A., Weitlauf, A., Warren, Z., & Sarkar, N. (2014). Assessing the Utility of a Virtual Environment for Enhancing Facial Affect Recognition in Adolescents with Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,44(7), 1641-1650. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2035-8

The article is focused on presenting an avatar to adolescents with ASD and giving the avatar facial expressions that express different levels of emotions. The purpose of the study is to have the ASD learner identify the meaning of the facial expression and to further understand the way in which information is processed in a brain with ASD.

  

Lahiri, U., Bekele, E., Dohrmann, E., Warren, Z., & Sarkar, N. (2014). A Physiologically Informed Virtual Reality Based Social Communication System for Individuals with Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,45(4), 919-931. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2240-5

This study focused on conversation skills. It uses virtual environments to engage the ASD participant with conversation. The researchers monitored the physiological responses of the participants such as, pupil dilation, blink rate, and gaze pattern. Based on the participant’s reaction the conversations were modified to further enhance the performance of the participants. The study demonstrated that virtual environments that reacted to physiological changes in the ASD learner could be an effective developmental intervention tool for person’s with ASD.

Rajendran, G. (2013). Virtual environments and autism: a developmental psychopathological approach. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning,29(4), 334-347. doi:10.1111/jcal.12006

The article discusses how people with autism often have trouble with the obtainment and understanding of information and communication technology. Therefore, the author of the paper argues that virtual realities (VR) or virtual environments (VE) are an ideal learning platform for those with autism. The author argues that this technique not only helps the autistic person learn specific skills it also helps the autistic person be more part of an age filled with technology.