Virtual Reality and Autism

Abstract

This chapter gives a brief presentation of autism and related interventions before discussing the use of virtual reality in order to reach the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on goal 4 and education for people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Applying virtual reality to the intervention approach with the current best evidence is deemed as the path forward in making such services available also in rural places and for autistic individuals in danger of dropping out of school. Research should focus on how virtual reality can contribute in making social and academic interventions suitable also for autistic females and autistic individuals with co-occurrence of other diagnoses, as they are underrepresented groups in research given their prevalence. We emphasize the need for ethical considerations and the important feature of co-developing and participatory designs with autistic individuals and stakeholders in planning, executing, and evaluating research and interventions.