Using asymmetric AR and VR technologies combined with peer collaboration and symbolic play to enhance intent understanding and empathy in children with autism
I-Jui Lee, Chiu-Mi Chen · Interactive Learning Environments · 2025
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face social challenges, particularly in developing empathy and perspective-taking, which involve complex social cognition and intent recognition. These abilities are difficult to acquire through repetitive imitation or role-playing alone; they require active interaction and game-based tasks that foster purposeful verbal communication, mental projection, and intent judgment. This study therefore developed an Asymmetric Symbolic Play (ASP) system that integrates augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) visual strategies. The system increases visual separation and information disparity between players, requiring collaboration through verbal communication, mental projection, and intent judgment. Each player is placed in a distinct AR or VR environment with symbolic play mechanisms, and they work together to interpret the symbolic meanings embedded in their partner's clues. The ASP system encourages children with ASD to collaboratively interpret social cues—symbolic vocabulary, actions, and cues—symbolic infer social meanings, activities, and emotions. This process stimulates empathy and perspective-taking, thereby promoting social interaction skills. To assess the system's effectiveness, four high-functioning children with ASD participated in a multiple-baseline experiment. Results showed that the ASP system, through AR and VR strategies, can effectively support the gradual development of empathy in children with ASD.