Avatar assistant: improving social skills in students with an ASD through a computer-based intervention.
A simple computer game with friendly avatars lifted real-world social skills for kids across the autism spectrum.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested FaceSay, a computer game that uses cartoon faces to teach eye contact, emotion names, and play skills.
Kids with autism were picked at random to play FaceSay or to sit on a wait list.
Sessions happened in a quiet school room for a few weeks.
What they found
Low-functioning kids got better at reading feelings and talking with peers.
High-functioning kids improved in all three skills and used them on the playground.
Gains were still there weeks later.
How this fits with other research
EGranieri et al. (2020) pooled 18 trials and found computer social-skills lessons work as well as live groups. That meta-analysis includes this FaceSay study, so the game is part of the proof.
Marino et al. (2020) swapped the screen avatar for a real robot and still saw gains in emotion recognition. This robot study is a close cousin that shows the tool can change without hurting results.
Takata et al. (2023) used many robots at once and also saw social growth. Their weaker pre-post design extends the idea to fancier tech, but the core finding matches FaceSay.
Why it matters
You can add FaceSay or similar avatar games to your social-skills block tomorrow. One laptop, headphones, and a small table are enough. Start with the emotion-naming mini-game, then prompt the child to look for the same face on a real peer during recess. The 2020 meta tells us the tech works, so you do not need to choose between screen time and people time—use both.
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Join Free →Open the free FaceSay trial, let the child play the ‘match the feeling’ module for five minutes, then walk to the cafeteria and ask them to find that same feeling on a classmate’s face.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study assessed the efficacy of FaceSay, a computer-based social skills training program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This randomized controlled study (N = 49) indicates that providing children with low-functioning autism (LFA) and high functioning autism (HFA) opportunities to practice attending to eye gaze, discriminating facial expressions and recognizing faces and emotions in FaceSay's structured environment with interactive, realistic avatar assistants improved their social skills abilities. The children with LFA demonstrated improvements in two areas of the intervention: emotion recognition and social interactions. The children with HFA demonstrated improvements in all three areas: facial recognition, emotion recognition, and social interactions. These findings, particularly the measured improvements to social interactions in a natural environment, are encouraging.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2011 · doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1179-z