Presentation
Therafy is a virtual reality (VR) program with immersive and gamified activities to promote development, specially designed to be an environment suited to the needs of people with autism and other disabilities. In this way, all activities developed on the platform aim to gain autonomy so that learners can overcome barriers and build skills and competencies.
The big qualitative leap in Therafy's proposal was the combination of knowledge to create a solution connected to the real challenges faced by people with disabilities. This is because, in isolation and in a decontextualized way, technology itself does not generate social transformations, but knowledge and experience in the field of education and public health, added to the possibilities of technology, have allowed the creation of an innovative resource.
To date, activities have been developed on the platform to learn emotion recognition, social skills, communication and to teach how to cross the street safely. The platform works immersively, that is, in such a way that the user feels like they are in a realistic scenario.
This immersion provides greater realism in activities, facilitating the learning process. Furthermore, virtual reality allows the user to focus more, leading to fewer distractions and enabling more effective learning. The Therafy platform also uses gamification principles to increase engagement, which makes the entire process light and fun.
During the years 2022 and 2023, tests were carried out using Therafy software with the aim of understanding whether people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) would be able to use the platform, whether they could keep the virtual reality glasses on and also to collect data from users, parents and professionals, suggestions for improvement for the program.
To this end, the sessions were provided by Therafy's own team and also included the participation of clinics serving people with ASD, teachers from the Specialized Educational Service and a Higher Education Institution. The participating institutions were:
To collect and organize the data, Therafy provided a spreadsheet, in which users were identified by numbers, thus preserving their identities. Data such as: test date, location, session leader, gender, age, session duration, whether they were diagnosed with ASD, level of support, whether the individual communicates verbally, whether they can use the VR glasses, whether they are capable of answering questions, difficulties, results and a field for recording observations and suggestions for improvements to the program.
38 people between the ages of 2 and 43 participated in the tests, totaling 727 minutes of use, with an average of 29 minutes per session. In the following section, we will describe the participants’ profile in more detail:
Using graphics, usability will be demonstrated, that is, how many participants were able to use the program. To make the data intelligible, sections will be made according to the characteristics of the users, such as age and level of support.
It should be noted that this is not academic research, but rather a specific initiative to systematize and encourage the production of knowledge in a responsible manner and commitment to the quality of the resource.
1. General characterization of participants
Support level
Age of the participants
Participants number by age
Participants gender
2. Characterization of participants according to age and level of support
We obtained the following results from carrying out the usability tests:
Percentage of participants that were able to use Therafy
Percentage of participants who were able to use Therafy according to age:
Participants with less than 5 years old
Participants with more than 5 years old
Percentage of participants who were able to use the program according to the level of support.
Data analysis
Preliminary tests for the launch of the Therafy Platform were carried out between 2022 and 2023 in two Brazilian states: Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais. This is a sample of 38 people who agreed to participate in sessions of approximately 30 minutes using the resource. Preliminary tests aim to understand whether children and adults with ASD would be able to use, maintain and understand the use of technology. Furthermore, the preliminary tests were an opportunity to receive suggestions from users, parents and professionals to improve the program.
Of the total of 38 participants, 14 are between 2 and 5 years old and 24 are over 6 years old, with the oldest people being 29 and 43 years old. Only 5 of the 38 are female, which may be a representation of reality. The proportion of men and women with autism continues to be researched, however, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States of America, for every four people with ASD, only one is a woman. There are two possible interpretations for this difference, the first is that the disorder actually affects men more and the second is that women are affected differently, leading to non-diagnosis. Furthermore, studies indicate that the diagnosis of autism in females can be harmed by psychological, social and cultural influences, as women are able to develop skills to camouflage, disguise and compensate for the difficulties arising from the disorder.
In the total sample, 37 had a diagnosis of ASD, with one person being in the evaluation process, and the diagnosis was not finalized. Of the people on the spectrum, 24 were level 1 support, 13 were level 2 support, and one person was level 3 support. Considering that autism is a spectrum and that each individual has unique needs and potential, categorization by levels of support exists only to facilitate understanding of the difficulties faced by the person and cannot be used to label subjects. Furthermore, no statistical research was found that demonstrated the proportion of people with autism according to support levels.
Regarding acceptance to use the technology, in a protocolized manner, the resource was presented to the subjects after a brief explanation of what would be inside the glasses and then we asked if they would like to try it; only with an explicit positive response, the equipment was placed on the person's face. At the first request, it was removed. In addition, a manual was made available for organizing the environment, focusing on user safety. These simple precautions with the environment and explicit consent meant that there were no complications or accidents in any of the sessions.
All attempts were considered and of the total of 38 participants, 12 were unable or refused to use the resource, which represents 32%. When a breakdown was made by age, children under 6 years old, 71% of them, were unable or unwilling to use the program; while among people over 6 years old, only 8% were unable to do so.
Therefore, these preliminary data indicate that it is more challenging, in the first instance, for children under 6 years of age to adhere, which may be related to the characteristics of human development. Another possible interpretation is that younger children require more time to adapt and build a bond to accept the new thing. In any case, this group requires greater attention when preparing the session with the virtual reality resource.
Furthermore, based on the tests carried out, we can understand that participants under the age of 6 and with support levels 2 and 3 had more difficulty using the Therafy platform. In this group, 80% were unable to use it. However, participants over the age of 6 and with support levels 2 and 3 had an easier time using the program, representing 75% success rate.
It is worth noting that in the sample analyzed, of the children under 6 years old, 89.5% were assessed as level 2 or 3 of support and only 10.5% of them are level 1 support children, who would possibly have an easier time using of the resource.
Therefore, the tests carried out show that among children under 6 years old with support level 1, half of them, exactly 50%, were able to successfully use the platform.
Children aged 6 and over, assessed at level 1 of support, 95% successfully used the platform, obtaining significant learning for their development.
Conclusion
The data obtained demonstrated that people with ASD are capable of using the technology, remaining engaged until the end of the proposed activity, therefore, the tests showed promising results, sufficient to understand that Therafy is on the right path and must maintain its efforts to develop the program.
Sessions with the Therafy Platform were well received by participants, who demonstrated notable improvements in several areas of development, especially social interaction. This is because the learning opportunity through immersion in controlled virtual environments allowed them to experience social situations in a safe and systematic way, which is fundamental for the development of such complex skills.
Furthermore, virtual reality technology emerges as a promising resource, with significant potential to provide opportunities for learning in a playful way, benefiting people with autism and other disabilities in the development of skills and competencies, whether in the school environment, in clinics and in in the near future, in their homes, in a complementary way.
Although more research is needed to fully explore the capabilities and limitations of virtual reality in the context of autism and other disabilities, the preliminary results are admirable and pave the way for future investigations and the development of innovative pedagogical and therapeutic practices.
Therafy: Innovating paths and providing more exciting learning for everyone.
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