LEARNING COMMUNICATION WITH AUTISTIC PEOPLE WITH A MOBILE SERIOUS ROLE-PLAYING GAME

Abstract

While serious role-play games have been developed for individuals with autism spectrum disorders to learn social interactions and emotions, there is a lack of role-playing games that teach people without autism the necessary communication skills to engage and interact effectively with autistic people. In this research, we present a mobile serious role-playing game as a comprehensive expert-guided experiential and cognitive learning tool, consisting of instruction, play, review, and discussion, that helps achieve enhanced learning outcomes while enabling an independent-learning workflow. By making it available for both iOS and Android devices, it has the potential to help spread the awareness of autism and help create a more inclusive environment for autistic people at schools, universities, and communities.