Using Virtual Reality to Develop Theory of Mind Skills in Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study aimed to teach theory of mind (ToM) skills to a sample of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), through a virtual reality (VR) application. An intrasubject design incorporating pretest and posttest measures was used. Six participants, aged 13–30 years, took part in the study. Three participants were randomly assigned to the experimental condition, leaving the other three participants in the control condition. The VR app featured scenarios designed to explore the principle that seeing leads to knowing. Differential reinforcement and different aids were used during the teaching process. Results showed that all experimental participants exhibited improvements in their ToM tasks scores following the VR intervention. Based on the findings from this small sample, these results should be considered preliminary evidence that VR may support ToM skill development in people with ASD.