Asociación Asperger Madrid Enhances Social Skills with VR

Asociación Asperger Madrid is a nonprofit organization established in 2011 by both the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council, recognized for its public utility status. The association is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with Asperger Syndrome through a variety of support services, including welfare, educational, recreational, cultural, and sports activities. Additionally, they are involved in establishing diagnostic and evaluation centers. The organization operates in three main areas: Clinical, Work, and Educational, offering a wide range of services tailored to the needs of their members.

Challenge and Objective:

One of the primary goals of Asociación Asperger Madrid is to provide effective social skills training for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). People with Asperger Syndrome often face significant challenges in developing social competence, which affects their ability to engage in social interactions, manage anxiety, and communicate effectively. Traditional methods of training in social skills can be limiting, leading to the question of whether Virtual Reality (VR) environments might offer a more effective approach. The main objective of this initiative is to explore if VR-based social skills training can reduce anxiety during social interactions by 5% and increase eye contact duration with interlocutors by 10%.

VirtualSpeech’s VR Solution:

To address this challenge, Asociación Asperger Madrid implemented a project using VirtualSpeech’s VR software. This solution provides immersive, controlled virtual environments designed to simulate real-life social interactions. The VR platform offers diverse scenarios and interactive elements that help users practice interpreting social cues, maintaining eye contact, and managing verbal and nonverbal communication. These controlled environments allow individuals with Asperger Syndrome to engage in practice sessions that mimic actual social situations, thereby aiming to reduce interaction anxiety and enhance social skills.

Results and Benefits:

Launched in February 2023 and running through December 2023, the project is still in its intermediate stages. Although definitive results have yet to be determined, early qualitative feedback from participants has been positive. Users have found the VR training to be an engaging and effective tool for practicing social interactions in a low-pressure environment. The use of VirtualSpeech’s VR technology has created opportunities for meaningful practice and learning experiences, showing potential to meet the project’s goals of reducing anxiety and improving communication skills.