Autistic young people adaptively use gaze to facilitate joint attention during multi-gestural dyadic interactions / Nathan CARUANA in Autism, 28-6 (June 2024)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism > 28-6 (June 2024) . - p.1565-1581 Titre : Autistic young people adaptively use gaze to facilitate joint attention during multi-gestural dyadic interactions Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Nathan CARUANA, Auteur ; Patrick NALEPKA, Auteur ; Glicyr A. PEREZ, Auteur ; Christine INKLEY, Auteur ; Courtney MUNRO, Auteur ; Hannah RAPAPORT, Auteur ; Simon BRETT, Auteur ; David M. KAPLAN, Auteur ; Michael J. RICHARDSON, Auteur ; Elizabeth PELLICANO, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1565-1581 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : eye contact  gaze  non-verbal communication  social interaction  virtual reality Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Autistic people often experience difficulties navigating face-to-face social interactions. Historically, the empirical literature has characterised these difficulties as cognitive 'deficits' in social information processing. However, the empirical basis for such claims is lacking, with most studies failing to capture the complexity of social interactions, often distilling them into singular communicative modalities (e.g. gaze-based communication) that are rarely used in isolation in daily interactions. The current study examined how gaze was used in concert with communicative hand gestures during joint attention interactions. We employed an immersive virtual reality paradigm, where autistic (n = 22) and non-autistic (n = 22) young people completed a collaborative task with a non-autistic confederate. Integrated eye-, head- and hand-motion-tracking enabled dyads to communicate naturally with each other while offering objective measures of attention and behaviour. Autistic people in our sample were similarly, if not more, effective in responding to hand-cued joint attention bids compared with non-autistic people. Moreover, both autistic and non-autistic people demonstrated an ability to adaptively use gaze information to aid coordination. Our findings suggest that the intersecting fields of autism and social neuroscience research may have overstated the role of eye gaze during coordinated social interactions. Lay abstract Autistic people have been said to have 'problems' with joint attention, that is, looking where someone else is looking. Past studies of joint attention have used tasks that require autistic people to continuously look at and respond to eye-gaze cues. But joint attention can also be done using other social cues, like pointing. This study looked at whether autistic and non-autistic young people use another person s eye gaze during joint attention in a task that did not require them to look at their partner?s face. In the task, each participant worked together with their partner to find a computer-generated object in virtual reality. Sometimes the participant had to help guide their partner to the object, and other times, they followed their partner?s lead. Participants were told to point to guide one another but were not told to use eye gaze. Both autistic and non-autistic participants often looked at their partner?s face during joint attention interactions and were faster to respond to their partner?s hand-pointing when the partner also looked at the object before pointing. This shows that autistic people can and do use information from another person s eyes, even when they don t have to. It is possible that, by not forcing autistic young people to look at their partner?s face and eyes, they were better able to gather information from their partner?s face when needed, without being overwhelmed. This shows how important it is to design tasks that provide autistic people with opportunities to show what they can do. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613231211967 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=529 [article] Autistic young people adaptively use gaze to facilitate joint attention during multi-gestural dyadic interactions [texte imprimé] / Nathan CARUANA, Auteur ; Patrick NALEPKA, Auteur ; Glicyr A. PEREZ, Auteur ; Christine INKLEY, Auteur ; Courtney MUNRO, Auteur ; Hannah RAPAPORT, Auteur ; Simon BRETT, Auteur ; David M. KAPLAN, Auteur ; Michael J. RICHARDSON, Auteur ; Elizabeth PELLICANO, Auteur . - p.1565-1581. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism > 28-6 (June 2024) . - p.1565-1581 Mots-clés : eye contact  gaze  non-verbal communication  social interaction  virtual reality Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Autistic people often experience difficulties navigating face-to-face social interactions. Historically, the empirical literature has characterised these difficulties as cognitive 'deficits' in social information processing. However, the empirical basis for such claims is lacking, with most studies failing to capture the complexity of social interactions, often distilling them into singular communicative modalities (e.g. gaze-based communication) that are rarely used in isolation in daily interactions. The current study examined how gaze was used in concert with communicative hand gestures during joint attention interactions. We employed an immersive virtual reality paradigm, where autistic (n = 22) and non-autistic (n = 22) young people completed a collaborative task with a non-autistic confederate. Integrated eye-, head- and hand-motion-tracking enabled dyads to communicate naturally with each other while offering objective measures of attention and behaviour. Autistic people in our sample were similarly, if not more, effective in responding to hand-cued joint attention bids compared with non-autistic people. Moreover, both autistic and non-autistic people demonstrated an ability to adaptively use gaze information to aid coordination. Our findings suggest that the intersecting fields of autism and social neuroscience research may have overstated the role of eye gaze during coordinated social interactions. Lay abstract Autistic people have been said to have 'problems' with joint attention, that is, looking where someone else is looking. Past studies of joint attention have used tasks that require autistic people to continuously look at and respond to eye-gaze cues. But joint attention can also be done using other social cues, like pointing. This study looked at whether autistic and non-autistic young people use another person s eye gaze during joint attention in a task that did not require them to look at their partner?s face. In the task, each participant worked together with their partner to find a computer-generated object in virtual reality. Sometimes the participant had to help guide their partner to the object, and other times, they followed their partner?s lead. Participants were told to point to guide one another but were not told to use eye gaze. Both autistic and non-autistic participants often looked at their partner?s face during joint attention interactions and were faster to respond to their partner?s hand-pointing when the partner also looked at the object before pointing. This shows that autistic people can and do use information from another person s eyes, even when they don t have to. It is possible that, by not forcing autistic young people to look at their partner?s face and eyes, they were better able to gather information from their partner?s face when needed, without being overwhelmed. This shows how important it is to design tasks that provide autistic people with opportunities to show what they can do. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613231211967 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=529

‘Breaking down a barrier’: Autistic young people see virtual reality as a possible social support, but not a substitute for in-person interactions / Nathan CARUANA in Autism, 30-3 (March 2026)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism > 30-3 (March 2026) . - p.655-667 Titre : ‘Breaking down a barrier’: Autistic young people see virtual reality as a possible social support, but not a substitute for in-person interactions Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Nathan CARUANA, Auteur ; Terry GOETZ, Auteur ; Patrick NALEPKA, Auteur ; Elizabeth PELLICANO, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.655-667 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : autism  social interaction  virtual reality  young people Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Autistic people often face challenges in face-to-face social interactions, especially in unfamiliar or high-stakes situations. Virtual reality has been proposed as a tool to support social connection by offering a more controlled and accessible environment. While previous research has focused on virtual reality–based social skills training, little is known about how autistic people experience social interactions in virtual reality. We interviewed 22 autistic young people (aged 9–22 years, MAge = 14.5) after they engaged in a social interaction with a stranger in immersive virtual reality. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we found that participants generally found virtual reality interactions tolerable, engaging and helpful as a low-pressure first step towards more challenging social situations. Virtual reality was valued for reducing sensory overload, increasing confidence and offering novel social opportunities. However, participants did not view virtual reality as a replacement for in-person interaction, which they saw as essential for building meaningful relationships. These findings highlight the potential of virtual reality to support autistic people by modifying the social environment rather than demanding behavioural change. They also challenge deficit-based assumptions about autistic social motivation, emphasising the importance of aligning technological supports with autistic people’s lived experiences and preferences.Lay abstract Autistic young people can find social situations stressful and overwhelming, particularly if meeting strangers in high-stakes settings (e.g. first date, job interview). Virtual reality has been suggested as a tool that might help make these interactions easier. In this study, we asked 22 autistic young people, aged 9–22, to try out a social interaction in virtual reality and then tell us about their experience. We found that most participants enjoyed using virtual reality and felt it made social interactions feel safer and less intimidating. They said virtual reality helped reduce distractions and gave them more control over how they presented themselves. Some even said it made them feel more confident when talking to others. However, young people were clear that virtual reality should not replace real-life interactions. They said that in-person contact is still important for building real connections with others. While virtual reality can be a helpful first step when interacting with new people, especially in situations that feel scary or unfamiliar, it is not a substitute for face-to-face relationships. This research shows that autistic young people value social connection and want tools that support, rather than replace, real-life interaction. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613251406114 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=582 [article] â€˜Breaking down a barrier’: Autistic young people see virtual reality as a possible social support, but not a substitute for in-person interactions [texte imprimé] / Nathan CARUANA, Auteur ; Terry GOETZ, Auteur ; Patrick NALEPKA, Auteur ; Elizabeth PELLICANO, Auteur . - p.655-667. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism > 30-3 (March 2026) . - p.655-667 Mots-clés : autism  social interaction  virtual reality  young people Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Autistic people often face challenges in face-to-face social interactions, especially in unfamiliar or high-stakes situations. Virtual reality has been proposed as a tool to support social connection by offering a more controlled and accessible environment. While previous research has focused on virtual reality–based social skills training, little is known about how autistic people experience social interactions in virtual reality. We interviewed 22 autistic young people (aged 9–22 years, MAge = 14.5) after they engaged in a social interaction with a stranger in immersive virtual reality. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we found that participants generally found virtual reality interactions tolerable, engaging and helpful as a low-pressure first step towards more challenging social situations. Virtual reality was valued for reducing sensory overload, increasing confidence and offering novel social opportunities. However, participants did not view virtual reality as a replacement for in-person interaction, which they saw as essential for building meaningful relationships. These findings highlight the potential of virtual reality to support autistic people by modifying the social environment rather than demanding behavioural change. They also challenge deficit-based assumptions about autistic social motivation, emphasising the importance of aligning technological supports with autistic people’s lived experiences and preferences.Lay abstract Autistic young people can find social situations stressful and overwhelming, particularly if meeting strangers in high-stakes settings (e.g. first date, job interview). Virtual reality has been suggested as a tool that might help make these interactions easier. In this study, we asked 22 autistic young people, aged 9–22, to try out a social interaction in virtual reality and then tell us about their experience. We found that most participants enjoyed using virtual reality and felt it made social interactions feel safer and less intimidating. They said virtual reality helped reduce distractions and gave them more control over how they presented themselves. Some even said it made them feel more confident when talking to others. However, young people were clear that virtual reality should not replace real-life interactions. They said that in-person contact is still important for building real connections with others. While virtual reality can be a helpful first step when interacting with new people, especially in situations that feel scary or unfamiliar, it is not a substitute for face-to-face relationships. This research shows that autistic young people value social connection and want tools that support, rather than replace, real-life interaction. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613251406114 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=582

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