Development of a software-based social tutor for children with autism spectrum disorders

Authors:
Marissa Milne;David Powers;Richard Leibbrandt
Affiliations:
Flinders University, Australia;Flinders University, Australia;Flinders University, Australia
Venue:
OZCHI '09 Proceedings of the 21st Annual Conference of the Australian Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group: Design: Open 24/7
Year:
2009

Citing 3
Cited 1

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Abstract

This work in progress aims to investigate the potential for using autonomous virtual agents as social tutors for children with autism through the development of a prototype software program. Existing studies have investigated the use of human controlled virtual agents for social skills development and autonomous virtual agents for language development, both achieving positive outcomes. The virtual agent component of this, known as the Thinking Head, has a lifelike appearance and ability to model realistic facial expressions that lends it to this application. The evaluation component of this project will examine the children's ability to recognize particular facial expressions and choose appropriate social actions to take before and after a short interaction with the social tutor. Additionally, the evaluation investigates the children's thoughts about their experience with the virtual agent. The outcome of this project will provide insights for the potential of this approach and provide direction for future research and development.