Mobile Augmented Reality Technologies for Autism Spectrum Disorder Interventions: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Over the past decade, enhanced computing capabilities and mobile technologies have begotten the upsurge of innovative mobile health (mHealth) solutions, and many research efforts have occurred recently in the area of technology-based interventions (TBI) for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Mobile augmented reality (MAR) refers to AR systems that use the handheld mobile device medium (mobile phones, tablets or smart glasses). This article reports the results of a systematic review undertaken on the use of MAR for ASD-related skills learning from the year 2010. It aims to provide an insight into the current state of research on MAR interventions and to provide guidance to relevant designers and researchers. We searched seven databases and retrieved 625 articles initially. After exclusion and screening, 36 articles were reviewed reporting on using MAR to improve various skills of children and adolescents with ASD, and 10 research questions related to PICO (P: Population, I: Intervention, C: Comparison, O: Outcomes) were addressed. This study identifies challenges that still exist in the research efforts towards the development of applications exploiting the MAR for ASD interventions: technology issues, research design consideration, subjective assessment etc. The studies examined suggest researchers should focus on users and improve the quality of the MAR app. In addition, more effective research methods and evaluation methods could be involved in future studies to facilitate the development of MAR intervention applications.

Technologies in the education of children and teenagers with autism: evaluation and classification of apps by work areas

“…Few apps have obtained an assessment of "not recommendable", since most apps were found in the "recommendable" group, with an average quality -as Hanna et al (2021) also found in their study -but with potential for improvement in terms of quality, design, pedagogic aspects and content aimed at children and adolescents with autism. Furthermore, these results are in agreement with the findings of Dattolo and Luccio (2017) and Lian and Sunar (2021), which show that the design and content could be improved, as they were not wholly adapted to the needs and characteristics of people with ASD.…”

The application of augmented reality in the learning of autistic students: a systematic and thematic review in 1996–2020

“…They do not report the specific number of participants. In this line, there are strong similarities with the work of Lian and Sunar (2021) who in 55% of the studies have chosen samples with a maximum of five participants for the development of the work. The reasons for the low number of participants in the samples analysed are varied.…”

“…(2021). In the case of motor and navigation skills it also occupies the second position in frequency for the work of Lian and Sunar (2021). By contrast, in the work of Berenguer et al.…”

“…Khowaja et al. (2020) and Lian and Sunar (2021) identified the use of AR with tablets in the activities they developed, although the percentages are 25 and 30%, respectively. In the case of the tasks developed with smartphones of these authors, the percentages were lower with 15 and 20%, respectively.…”

The Implementation of Application Software to Improve Verbal Communication in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review

“…The critical factor that makes technology successful is the application software ('apps') installed. Designers must ensure that the apps have high interactivity and be of good quality, meet users' needs, and have an effective learning framework [19,20]. It is challenging to find one that is suitable for ASD intervention [21,22].…”