Social skills interventions for the autism spectrum: essential ingredients and a model curriculum

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience impaired emotional development, which severely affects their social communication. Although some assistive technologies are effective in helping children with ASD to improve their social skills, they are generally considered to be unable to engage children in real-world social situations. This paper presents “FaceMe,” which is a virtual agent social game based on an augmented reality (AR) technology that supports children's emotional development. FaceMe uses a virtual agent, a set of tangible toolkits, and multilevel game mechanics to teach children about basic facial expressions in social scenarios and improve their emotional and communication skills. Empirical results show that the FaceMe virtual agent evoked active social behaviors in children with ASD who subsequently improved their ability to understand facial expressions. The FaceMe design guidelines for creating the virtual agent in the context of AR are presented, which opens up an interesting domain for future games using AR to support children's learning.

Previous behavioral studies have found that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show greater interest in humanoid robots than in humans. However, the neural mechanism underlying this is not clear. This study compared brain activation patterns between children with ASD and neurotypical children while they watched videos with robots and humans.

We recruited 45 children with ASD and 53 neurotypical children aged 4–6 years and recorded their neural activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) using a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device when the two groups interacted with a robot or a human in a video.

First, neural activity in the right DLPFC in children with ASD was significantly lower in the robot condition than in the human condition. Neural activity in the right DLPFC in children with ASD was also significantly lower than that of neurotypical children in the robot condition. Second, the neural activity in the left DLPFC between the human and robot conditions was negatively correlated in children with ASD, while it was positively correlated in neurotypical children. Moreover, neural activity in the left DLPFC in children with ASD was significantly correlated with the ADOS scores in both conditions.

While neurotypical children showed comparable neural activity to humanoid robots and human beings, the children with ASD showed significantly different neural activity under those two conditions. Children with ASD may need more selective attention resources for human interaction than for robot interaction. It is also much more difficult for children with ASD to neglect the attraction of robots. Neural activity of the left DLPFC of children with ASD is correlated with their symptoms, which maybe a possible indicator for early diagnosis. Neural activity of the right DLPFC guided their atypical reactions and engagements with robots. Our study contributes to the current understanding of the neural mechanisms responsible for the different behavioral reactions in children with ASD toward robots and humans.

The gradual annihilation of indigenous peoples' languages significantly affects their identity and culture. With this concern in mind, our study aimed to improve the Binukid language conversation skills of the Bukidnon and Talaandig youths in Barangay X, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon. We conducted a needs assessment analysis, finalized training topics and materials, administered training sessions, and monitored and evaluated our participants' communicative performance together with the Central Mindanao University extension director, tribal leaders, IP representative, and village officials. We chose the participants using complete enumeration; however, some enlisted participants were not available because of work, academic tasks, and other personal reasons. We collected relevant data through needs assessment, in-depth interviews, and extensive deliberations to create language training materials. We also used ethnographic methods to document and examine the participants' usage of their native language. The findings revealed that five out of six aspects of the participants’ conversation skills improved one step higher from the pre-training to the post-training, including accuracy of basic grammar structures, fluidity, basic elements of native pronunciation, variety of vocabulary, and comprehensible communication with limited errors. One criterion, however, specifically the participants' ability to deploy relevant, accurate, and thorough manner of conversing on a specific theme or topic remained constant. This research shows that collaborative and informed measures to reintroduce an indigenous language can be successful, thereby contributing to preservation of linguistic diversity.

Group activity schedules have been used to increase social engagement in children with autism spectrum disorders, but it is not known whether these experiences increase children’s preference for such interactions outside of therapy sessions or with different partners. This study evaluated the effects of training through the use of group activity schedules on children’s social responding in a concurrent choice paradigm. Four children with autism were given choices between social and solitary play prior to and following training in the use of group activity schedules. Prior to training, all participants predominantly chose to engage in solitary play. Subsequent to training, four out of four participants demonstrated increased preference for social play. For children with autism, exposure to structured social activities with systematically decreasing adult support may facilitate social skill development as well as preference for social interaction.