Towards an Improvement of Interpersonal Relationships in Children with Autism Using a Serious Game

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Autism is considered as a psychological neurodevelopment disorder which affects people. It is characterized by a wide range of conditions that difficult their social skills, as well as their verbal and non-verbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Autism affects an estimated 1 in 59 children in the USA. Technological advances seek to benefit the most vulnerable groups of society, creating tools that enhance the development of their abilities and skills. In this sense, Serious Games are structure-oriented videogames designed to learning or therapies in a fun environment. With this principle, “JOINME” game was developed using a natural user interface to benefit the progress of interpersonal relationships in children aged between 5 and 10, diagnosed with high-functioning ASD. For experimentation, a case study was applied. It was built from the adaptation of the KidsLife scale through a pre-test and post-test. As a result, a significant improvement of 8.17% in the development of interpersonal relationships was obtained in the kids. It reinforced their mathematical reasoning, recognition of emotions, and comprehensive reading.