Virtual reality based social communication platform: Implications on performance and eye gaze

Social communication deficits co-existing with poor eye contact are dominant in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Added to atypical looking pattern, they have limitations in explicit expression of their affective state, such as anxiety. With advancement in computing technology, Virtual reality (VR) has shown promise in offering social skill training platform and tapping implicit cues, such as gaze-related indices for the individuals with autism. In this paper, we present the design of Eyegaze-sensitive VIrtual Reality based Social Communication Platform (E-VISP) using VR platform augmented with a technologically-enhanced eye tracker. A preliminary usability study was designed as a proof-of-concept in which four individuals with high-functioning autism and age-matched typically developing (TD) individuals participated. The preliminary results show the potential of E-VISP to have implications on one's eye-gaze data (such as fixation duration and blink rate) and improvement in one's task performance.