Brief report: A pilot study of the use of a virtual reality headset in autism populations

Newbutt, Nigel; Sung, Connie; Kuo, Hung Jen; Leahy, Michael. J; Lin, Chien Chun; Tong, Boyang

Abstract

The application of virtual reality technologies (VRTs) for users with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been studied for decades. However, a gap remains in our understanding surrounding VRT head-mounted displays (HMDs). As newly designed HMDs have become commercially available (in this study the Oculus Rift™) the need to investigate newer devices is immediate. This study explored willingness, acceptance, sense of presence and immersion of ASD participants. Results revealed that all 29 participants (mean age=32; 33% with IQ< 70) were willing to wear the HMD. The majority of the participants reported an enjoyable experience, high levels of ‘presence’, and were likely to use HMDs again. IQ was found to be independent of the willingness to use HMDs and related VRT immersion experience.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 25, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Jun 7, 2016
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jun 13, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 7, 2017
• Journal: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
• Print ISSN: 0162-3257
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-3432
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 46
• Issue: 9
• Pages: 3166-3176
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2830-5
• Keywords: autism spectrum disorder, virtual reality technology, head-mounted display, Oculus Rift
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/921891
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2830-5
• Additional Information: Additional Information : The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2830-5
• Contract Date: Jun 13, 2016