The use of virtual reality on individuals with ASD to improve social cognition

Abstract

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder have difficulty understanding social cues, so public events or social situations pose significant challenges in their daily lives. Such difficulties can make it difficult to participate in social events, build relationships, and integrate into the community. There is no formal treatment or therapy for improving social cognition; however, there have been some studies that innovate the use of technology to help with social cognition, such as virtual reality. The research question is as follows: Does Virtual Reality significantly improve the social cognition of individuals with ASD? The population, exposure and outcome (PEO) framework was used to frame the research question. Population refers to people with ASD, Exposure refers to using Virtual reality and the outcome being if there has been any improvement with social cognition. Studies involving participants from all ages diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were included in the review, providing they were peer-reviewed, written in the English language and published within the last 10 years. Non-peer reviewed articles, articles older than 10 years or articles not published in English were excluded. Following the retrieval of relevant research, CASP tools were used to assess and criticize the systematic review and the cohort studies yielded. Results showed that there is a positive outcome in improvement in social cognition by using Virtual Reality in participants with ASD. More research of comparative nature is required, both internationally and locally, as the subject still requires further development. More education is needed for practitioners to have a better understanding about autism and how to use VR.