Virtual humans for ASD intervention: a brief scoping review

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder may present social-communicative and behavioral deficits. Recently, research on treatment and diagnosis has shifted its focus to the application of new technologies. Among them is virtual reality, which guarantees a high sense of realism to the experience and allows the implementation of a virtual agent that facilitates the use of the application. In social skills interventions, it has been mostly chosen to implement a virtual agent with a human appearance. Virtual humans guide the user-system interaction through the use of verbal and nonverbal language. They can be equipped with responsiveness: the ability to provide responses to the user based on data recorded during the use of the technology. Responsiveness is functional when the goal is to create an interaction similar to that of everyday life, as it allows for behavioral responses and, at a more sophisticated level, vocal responses. Considering virtual agents capable of holding a conversation with the user, to date three different methods have been implemented that make communication more or less realistic. This brief review proposes a synopsis of relevant virtual humans' features and highlights some key ASD research areas wherein virtual humans are implemented for diagnosis and treatment. A total of 11 studies were selected and their analysis was summarized into 7 main categories. Finally, the clinical and technological implications of the results found were discussed.