Acceptance and User Experience of an Augmented Reality System for the Simulation of Sensory Overload in Children with Autism

Sensory-perceptual difficulties are a common characteristic in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Studies in children with ASD describe an array of challenging behaviors regarding sensory simulation. Parents, special educators, and therapists are often witnessing these behaviors throughout the day. This study aimed to use an Augmented Reality (AR) system for the simulation of the sensory overload that children with ASD experience. A total of seventy (N=70) parents, special educators, and therapists of children with ASD responded to researchers' invitation for this study. Researchers held individual sessions with each participant who wore a head-mounted AR device (Magic Leap One™). Six visual and two auditory stimuli were individually and consecutively administered via the AR device. Participants experienced autism-like sensory overload under controlled conditions. Their acceptance and experience of the AR device were measured with the use of three online questionnaires (Temple Presence Inventory, TPI; Simulator Sickness Questionnaire, SSQ; Technology Acceptance Model, TAM). An open-ended question was also administered to measure the overall AR experience. In regard to the study's findings for participants' experience, the results from the TPI (Cronbach's Alpha = .84) suggested that the AR system offered a convincing blended environment. Also, low scores in SSQ indicated that the use of the AR system was comfortable. The results from the TAM showed in their majority high internal consistency (> .70) and high mean scores. This indicated that the participants accepted the AR system. In the open-ended question, participants reported overall satisfaction from their experience with the AR system. The study's findings suggested that the AR device enabled participants to experience a sensory overload similar to the one child with ASD report. Participants' experience was deemed to be convincing, comfortable, and user-friendly. The results of this study are encouraging and highlight the potential of AR in autism research. Future studies are needed to incorporate richer and more interactive AR simulations for authentic real-life experiences.