by Keyword: Neurodiversity
López-Carral, H, Blancas-Muñoz, M, Mura, A, Omedas, P, España-Cumellas, A, Martínez-Bueno, E, Milliken, N, Moore, P, Haque, L, Gilroy, S, Verschure, PFMJ, (2022). A Virtual Reality System for the Simulation of Neurodiversity Lecture Notes In Networks And Systems 236, 523-531 
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and repetitive patterns of behavior. Individuals affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may face overwhelming sensory hypersensitivities that hamper their everyday life. In order to promote awareness about neurodiversity among the neurotypical population, we have developed an interactive virtual reality simulation to experience the oversensory stimulation that an individual with autism spectrum disorder may experience in a natural environment. In this experience, we project the user in a first-person perspective in a classroom where a teacher is presenting a lecture. As the user explores the classroom and attends the lecture, he/she is confronted with sensory distortions which are commonly experienced by persons with ASD. We provide the users with a virtual reality headset with motion tracking, two wireless controllers for interaction, and a wristband for physiological data acquisition to create a closed feedback loop. This wearable device measures blood volume pulse (BVP) and electrodermal activity (EDA), which we use to perform online estimations of the arousal levels of users as they respond to the virtual stimuli. We use this information to modulate the intensity of auditory and visual stimuli simulating a vicious cycle in which increased arousal translates into increased oversensory stimulation. Here, we present the architecture and technical implementation of this system.
JTD Keywords: autism spectrum disorder, neurodiversity, physiology, Autism, Autism spectrum disorder, Neurodiversity, Physiology, Virtual reality
Blancas, Maria, Maffei, Giovanni, Sánchez-Fibla, Martí, Vouloutsi, Vasiliki, Verschure, P., (2020). Collaboration variability in autism spectrum disorder Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 14, (412), 559793
This paper addresses how impairments in prediction in young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) relate to their behavior during collaboration. To assess it, we developed a task where participants play in collaboration with a synthetic agent to maximize their score. The agent’s behavior changes during the different phases of the game, requiring participants to model the agent’s sensorimotor contingencies to play collaboratively. Our results (n = 30, 15 per group) show differences between autistic and neurotypical individuals in their behavioral adaptation to the other partner. Contrarily, there are no differences in the self-reports of that collaboration.
JTD Keywords: Autism, Prediction, Collaboration, Sensorimotor contingencies, Neurodiversity
