Using Virtual Reality Technology to Understand and Improve Social Functioning in Autism

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder of social cognition that affects over 240,000 Australians and 43 million people worldwide. Most people with autism struggle to share and coordinate attention with others during social interactions, which impairs their communication. This project will manipulate and experimentally control simulated social interactions using novel virtual reality (VR) paradigms. Results will elucidate the elements of joint attention that are affected in autism, thereby identifying precise targets for social skills training. Two novel social interaction paradigms that use inexpensive, portable, VR headsets will also be validated - translating my research findings into practical clinical applications.