Researchers at Northwestern University have combined technology and behavioral sciences to create a program they hope will help autistic children develop the social skills that seem instinctive to children without the disorder. They’re using “virtual peers” to do so.Virtual peers are life-size animated children that can be programmed for different conversations and behaviors that are designed to progressively improve the autistic child’s ability for social interaction. Many autistic children can speak quite eloquently about a subject of particular interest to them but struggle with two-way, or contingent, conversation.

The virtual peers are presented in a safe environment and in a friendly, nonthreatening way and all communications are monitored by researchers. The virtual peers are not expected to replace human friends but to help the autistic child develop more effective communications skills that can be applied in a real-life setting.

Researchers Justine Cassell and Andrea Tartaro have thus far studied the social interactions of six autistic children described as high functioning and between the ages of 7 and 11. Social interactions have included sessions with a real child and with Sam, a virtual peer.

Cassell is Northwestern’s director to the Center for Technology and Social Behavior. She and her colleagues are associated with the Articulab, an on-campus laboratory designed to explore interpersonal communications using technological advances.

Cassell cites technology itself as an advantage to using Sam as an aide to working with autistic children. She says children with autism usually like technology. A preliminary study of the research was presented by Cassell recently during a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Source: Northwestern University