Encouraging positive social behavior for children with autism through interactive storytelling

• Main Authors: Consignado, Danielle Grace S., Lim, Jan Kendrick, Ong, Sabrina Jane P.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2014
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/11833
• Institution: De La Salle University

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has always been considered as a rare childhood disorder often associated with severe intellectual disabilities, lack of social awareness and/or the absence of meaningful expressive language. One possible strategy to prepare ASD children to behave properly in social situations is with the use of Social Stories. With the help of shadow teachers and therapists, these Social Stories are able to provide accurate social information delivered in a patient and reassuring manner that is easily understood by its audience. In computing, interactive storytelling environments provide opportunities for the choices made by a user to have an effect on the virtual story world. The use of Social Stories in a virtual context can further enrich the learning experience of social expectations or the proper way to respond in social situations. This document presents the design of 2Adventures of Ellie3, an interactive storytelling environment with Social Stories as its central theme that can provide a safe environment for users to simulate social actions. The system is intended for children ages 7 to 11 years old, all diagnosed with mild autism. In the virtual world, the user is able to interact with the different objects and non-playing characters triggering the Social Stories. Serving as both teacher and facilitator, a virtual peer guides the player around the virtual environment and the main story flow of the game. Tests conducted among five children diagnosed with autism showed that the graphical user interface was likeable. The navigation and usability of the system were age-appropriate. Four out of five test participants were able to understand, identify and differentiate the objects and locations in the virtual world. The test also showed that the virtual peer present was found engaging and helpful. Despite half of the participant’s inability to understand the English language, all the participants claimed to have liked the content of the Social Stories.