An early test of VR social skills practice for autistic young adults shows promising results
How this was rated
Small exploratory study (n=8) with autistic young adults. Informative for hypothesis generation; cannot establish effect.
Ratings use a simplified four-tier scheme (High, Moderate, Low, Very Low) informed by the GRADE working group. Learn more about how studies are rated.
This feasibility study found that autistic young adults who participated in VR-based social cognition sessions showed improvements in emotion recognition and social functioning, demonstrating that VR is a viable platform for social communication practice.
A small exploratory study suggesting that VR-based social-cognition training is feasible for autistic young adults; cannot establish effect at this sample size.
Key findings
- Participants improved in emotion recognition (ACS-SP + Ekman60) and theory of mind (Reading the Mind in the Eyes, Triangles) following VR-SCT sessions
- Conversational skills (SSPA) improved; 6-month follow-up survey showed sustained social gains
- Platform: Second Life desktop virtual world (keyboard/mouse navigation, not immersive HMD); note significance levels not adjusted for multiple comparisons due to pilot nature
Background
Young adults on the autism spectrum often face growing social demands - in education, employment, and relationships - that require nuanced social communication skills. While many approaches exist for supporting social communication in younger children, options for young adults are more limited. Kandalaft and colleagues explored whether a virtual reality platform could provide a suitable environment for practicing social cognition skills, including emotion recognition and conversational skills, in a way that felt engaging and relevant to young adults.
What the researchers did
Eight autistic young adults (the paper uses the term “high-functioning autism” and “Asperger Syndrome”) participated in ten VR-based social cognition sessions (VR-SCT) delivered over five weeks. The platform was Second Life - a desktop virtual world navigated by keyboard and mouse on a standard computer screen. It was not an immersive head-mounted display. Each session involved a trained clinician operating an avatar to co-navigate social scenarios, covering emotion recognition, perspective-taking, and conversational skills. Outcome measures included emotion recognition (Awareness of Social Inference Test - PCAS-SP; Ekman60), theory of mind (Reading the Mind in the Eyes; Triangles), and conversational skills (Social Skills Performance Assessment - SSPA). A 6-month follow-up survey was also conducted after the program ended.
What they found
Participants showed improvements across several areas following the program. Emotion recognition and theory of mind measures both showed positive changes. Conversational skills on the SSPA improved as well. At 6-month follow-up, survey data suggested that social gains were maintained. Participants reported finding the scenarios engaging and relevant. An important caveat from the paper itself: “Due to the pilot nature of the study, significance levels for multiple tests were not adjusted” - meaning the findings should be interpreted with that in mind.
Why this matters
As one of the earliest studies to explore VR-based social cognition support for autistic young adults, this work laid important groundwork. It demonstrated that VR is not only technically feasible for this purpose but also acceptable and engaging for the people using it. The improvements in emotion recognition and social functioning, while preliminary, suggested that VR-based practice could meaningfully support social communication - opening the door for larger studies with control groups and longer follow-up.
Limitations
With only eight participants and no control group, this study was designed to test feasibility rather than establish effectiveness. The small sample makes it impossible to draw firm conclusions about whether the observed improvements were specifically due to the VR training. The participants all met the original paper’s IQ-based inclusion threshold, which limits generalizability to autistic adults across the full range of support needs. A larger randomized controlled trial would be needed to confirm these early promising results.
Implications for practice
VR platforms can provide safe, engaging environments for autistic young adults to practice social communication skills This feasibility evidence supports the development of larger, controlled studies of VR-based social cognition support Clinicians may consider VR as a tool for creating realistic social practice opportunities that are difficult to arrange in traditional settings
Where this connects to Therapy withVR
The study above is independent research and does not endorse any product. The notes below are commentary from withVR on how the themes in this research relate to features of Therapy withVR. The research findings are not claims about Therapy withVR.
Multiple Social Environments
This study used varied virtual social contexts - Therapy withVR's 12 environments cover the range of social situations from casual (Café, Kitchen Table) to structured (Meeting Room, Classroom).
AI-Generated Conversation
Keep social interactions natural and responsive using AI Prompts - 14 response types generate contextually appropriate avatar dialog in real time.
Cite this study
If you reference this study in your work, the canonical citation formats are:
@article{kandalaft2013,
author = {Kandalaft, M. R. and Didehbani, N. and Krawczyk, D. C. and Allen, T. T. and Chapman, S. B.},
title = {Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training for Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism},
journal = {Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1007/s10803-012-1544-6},
url = {https://withvr.app/evidence/studies/kandalaft-2013}
}TY - JOUR
AU - Kandalaft, M. R.
AU - Didehbani, N.
AU - Krawczyk, D. C.
AU - Allen, T. T.
AU - Chapman, S. B.
TI - Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training for Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism
JO - Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
PY - 2013
DO - 10.1007/s10803-012-1544-6
UR - https://withvr.app/evidence/studies/kandalaft-2013
ER - Know of research that should be in this hub? If a relevant peer-reviewed study is not listed here, send the reference to hello@withvr.app. The hub is kept up to date as the literature grows.
Funding & independence
No withVR BV involvement in funding, study design, or authorship. Summary prepared independently by withVR using the published paper.