Animated Visual Supports for Social Skills (AViSSS): An Interactive Virtual Experience for Social Skill Development

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Abstract

This paper describes an intervention that provides a safe and meaningful interactive virtual environment where students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can develop needed social skills. The tool, Animated Visual Supports for Social Skills (AViSSS), relies on both evidence-based social narrative and virtual technology theories. Students control an avatar that models social behavior in validated social scenarios. Students were randomized to one of two conditions: AViSSS group and a social narrative group. Preliminary results indicate that the percentage of improvement from pre-post test between groups was 17.33% for the AViSSS group versus 12.42% for the control. Evaluation data results show that students in the AViSSS group learned from the program and applied what they learned to the school setting.

Authors

• Sean J. Smith, The University of Kansas

• Susan P. Harvey, The University of Kansas