Virtual reality is having the experience of things which do not really exist through the use of computers. There are a few different levels of virtual reality which differ in their involvement of self into reality, these include, fully immersive (e.g. using a head-mounted display), non-immersive, collaborative e.g. Minecraft or web-based. Dede (2009) states that immersive virtual reality involves “a willing suspension of disbelief” and therefore, sets up users in a new imaginary world. Through this, students experience forces, vibrations, movement and motions to immerse them in this new world.
People who are on the autism spectrum have differing abilities to communicate with others, VR technologies have recently gained attention for their affordances for people who are on the autistic spectrum. This is due to the ability to be able to practice their social skills, control verbal and non-verbal features on different systems and practise behaviours and the mental simulation of events to practice social problem solving (Parsons and Cobb, 2011). Through Parsons (2016) discussion, the use of VR to investigate social interactions is based on the belief that VR technologies produce authentic and realistic experiences and in this way, can form a basis for social ‘norms’.
While Virtual Reality is often seen through many games, it can be an effective way to assist student learning, through enabling students to consider multiple perspectives, being situated in a specific experience and students can learn to transfer knowledge to be applied in different situations. As well as this, it removes distractions and promotes engagement in the classroom. An example of a virtual reality program which can assist students social skills is the game Sims. In Sims, students must navigate a character around to build their city and to interact with others. While players have the freedom of what the character does, they must select from a range of common behavioural characteristics. One of the major benefits of Sims to people on the autism spectrum is it’s ability to be used collaboratively.
Virtual reality has limitless possibilities in terms of assisting students with learning difficulties. Students who are on the autism spectrum can do specific social learning and practice on virtual reality systems rather than spending resources hiring experts to assist them. As well as this, people who live rurally may not have access to applied behavioural therapist and therefore it may be a good alternative. Although, educators must be aware that ‘cybersickness’, a term derived from Davis, Nesbitt and Nalivaiki, (2014) can be a health risk of Immersive Virtual Reality, therefore, attention to the time which students are on VR systems is critical to managing cybersickness.
References:
Bradley, R., Newbutt, N. (2018). Autism and Virtual Reality head mounted displays: a state of the art systematic review, Journal of Enabling Technologies, 12(3), 101-113.
Dalgarno, B., & Lee, M. J. (2010). What are the learning affordances of 3‐D virtual environments?, British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1), 10-32.
Dede, C. (2009). Immersive interfaces for Engagement and Learning, Science, 323, 66-69.
Parsons, S. Cobbs, S. (2011). State-of-the-art of virtual reality technologies for children on the autism spectrum, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 26(3), 355-366.
Southgate, E. (2018). Immersive virtual reality, children and school education: A literature review for teachers, DICE Report Series Number 6, 1-19.
Vesisenaho, S. et al. (2019). Virtual Reality in Education: Focus on the Role of Emotions and Physiological Reactivity, Virtual Worlds Research, 12(1), 1-15.
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