Development of symbolic play through the use of virtual reality tools in children with autistic spectrum disorders: two case studies.

Two boys with autism, ages 6 and 7, played inside a VR headset.

The headset showed a 3-D room where blocks turned into cars or food.

Staff guided each child for 30 minutes, twice a week, for five weeks.

The team filmed later play sessions to see if pretend skills moved to real toys.

Both kids learned to act out new make-believe actions in VR.

One child also used those new actions later with regular toys.

The second child still needed cues, but his play variety doubled.

Parents reported longer play at home, lasting about 15 extra minutes.

Ren et al. (2023) pooled 43 game studies and found medium gains for kids with NDDs.

Their meta-analysis includes VR, so the two boys line up with the larger trend.

Gordon et al. (2014) used a simple webcam game to teach facial smiles.

Both papers show short tech games can teach social skills in under a month.

Thurm et al. (2007) warned that low joint attention predicts poor language.

The VR study did not test language, so it extends the play part without clashing.

You can borrow the idea tomorrow: show a brief VR clip of a block turning into a plane, then hand the child a real block.

One demo may unlock new play schemes in minutes.

Track if the play moves to the classroom rug; that is the real win.