VR Dialogues: Enhancing Communication Between Autistic Individuals and Their Special Education Teachers Through Virtual Activities.

Abstract

This paper explores the potential of a Virtual Reality (VR) intervention to facilitate communication about sensitive topics between adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their special education teachers. The VR intervention was developed in collaboration with Special education teachers, incorporating feedback from a design workshop to create a VR application featuring activities like basketball, air hockey, drawing, and avatar customization. The VR application was evaluated through two sessions between one autistic adolescent and a special education teacher at a residential home for autistic adolescents. The results indicate that VR has the potential to be used as a space for sensitive conversation between autistic individuals and their special education teachers.