A group of researchers at the University of Malta have teamed up to create a virtual reality experience that helps users see the world from the point of view of an autistic child. 

“We wanted to create a VR experience that would tackle autism precisely with empathy,” said project leader Alexiei Dingli, who is a senior lecturer of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Malta and mayor of Valletta.

Dingli noticed a lack of understanding among teachers, students, and even parents, when it came to dealing with children with autism. “My eldest son's school mate is autistic. But no one prepared the students for this, or helped them understand what autism involves."

The VR experience helps prepare teachers and children to better understand when an autistic child is introduced in their class. The experience mimics the feelings and thoughts of an autistic child.

READ: The empathy problem of coping with autism

"Even though prospective teachers might study the condition extensively, they can only do so through textbooks or through limited teaching practice with children having different abilities. They can never understand what an autistic child will be going through. We hope that this VR experience goes some way towards addressing this.”

Viewers wear the virtual reality headset and are immediately transported to this different world

Dingli and his team hope that, by wearing the VR experience they will understand what the child feels and why some elements are more annoying than others.

Vanessa Camilleri, a lecturer at the Department of AI alongside Dingli, is aware of how the experience could change the way educators interact with and teach students with autism.

“Not everyone necessarily knows that something like moving a chair may cause a disturbance to a child with autism. We wanted to create an immersive experience," she says.

The team, which involved the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Education, also created a VR video, filmed with actors from the Masquerade troupe on location at the Lija Primary School. The video is shot from the perspective of an autistic girl as she walks through the school hallways, attends class, and sits in the playground surrounding by playing children in their break.

Viewers wear the virtual reality headset and are immediately transported to this different world. Their vision blurs, brightens or shakes as children run past, loud noises or made, or even when someone’s perfume is too strong.

Fouad Haddud, a student specialising in AI and hosting the trials explains, says that reactions to the experience have been strong and encouraging.

Eventually, the team are looking at using this narrative-driven technology on other issues in society, such as multiculturalism or post traumatic stress disorder.

An edited version of this report was published on The Sunday Circle magazine. 
 
 
 
 

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