Using Virtual Reality to Improve Emotion Understanding in Children With Autism

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication, and in understanding one's own and others' mental and emotional states. In particular, skills related to the recognition, understanding, and regulation of emotions represent a significant area of vulnerability in children with high-functioning ASD, with important consequences for social and relational functioning. The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention protocol designed to enhance socio-emotional understanding, with a specific focus on the recognition of basic and complex emotions, the expansion of emotional vocabulary, the association between situations, thoughts, and emotions, and the differentiation between thoughts and emotions. Furthermore, the study seeks to investigate the role of immersive technology (Oculus) as a potential facilitator of emotional learning compared to a traditional intervention approach. The sample will consist of children with a diagnosis of high-functioning ASD, aged between 7 and 10 years, with sentence-level language abilities, the capacity to narrate non-present events, and an intellectual quotient above 80 (assessed using the Griffiths Scales or the WISC-IV). Participants will be divided into two groups: an experimental group (OCULUS), which will receive the intervention mediated by the use of Oculus technology, and a control group which will undergo the same protocol without technological support.