Enhancing Social Skills in Malaysian Children with Autism Through Augmented Reality (AR): A New Frontier in Therapeutic Interventions
This study explores the new therapeutic intervention of the application of Augmented Reality (AR) technology for enhancing social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Malaysia. Given the nature of autism, which is characterized by a deficit in social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors, this disorder often necessitates unique approaches to therapy. AR is a promising replacement for traditional methods. AR could represent an alternative to traditional methods. A 12-week AR-based intervention program was designed, which aimed to support basic social abilities such as eye-contact, facial expression, interpreting emotions and maintaining a conversation. Thirty children with autism between 5 and 12 years old were recruited for the study and attended bi-weekly sessions. This was then paired with the qualitative assessment which was done over 8 therapy lessons using parent interviews and therapist observations At later time points, significant improvements in social responsivity and communication were revealed. Those people experienced more eye contact, better ability to comprehend another person's emotional state, and better social conversational skills. There was high engagement, thanks to the interactive, visually exciting capabilities of AR one of the things that helped in ensuring the program was a success was to adapt the AR content to the Malaysian context.