Immersive Intelligence: Using Adaptive Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Social Cognition and Workforce Readiness for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64882/ijrt.v14.i1.916Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Social Cognition, Workforce Development, Transition Services, Adaptive Technology, Employment OutcomesAbstract
Young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face a critical "services cliff" upon aging out of school-based support systems, with unemployment and underemployment rates exceeding 80% in this population.Despite average to above-average cognitive abilities in many individuals with ASD, persistent deficits in social cognition-including theory of mind, emotion recognition, and pragmatic communication-constitute primary barriers to successful workforce integration and sustained employment.
This study proposes, develops, and preliminarily evaluates "Immersive Intelligence" (I2), a novel integrated platform combining adaptive virtual reality (VR) simulations with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven personalization to deliver scaffolded, workplace-relevant social cognition training for young adults with ASD.
This mixed-methods investigation recruited N=45 young adults diagnosed with ASD (ages 18-26 years; mean age = 21.7 years, SD = 2.1) without co-occurring intellectual disability. Participants engaged in a structured 5-week training program utilizing the I2 platform, completing three 60-minute sessions weekly. The intervention employed progressively complex VR workplace scenarios (job interviews, team meetings, customer interactions, conflict resolution) powered by AI algorithms that monitored performance in real-time and adapted difficulty levels, feedback modality, and social complexity based on individual response patterns. Comprehensive assessment occurred at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up, incorporating: (1) standardized psychometric measures of social functioning (Social Responsiveness Scale-2; Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test); (2) objective VR performance metrics (gaze patterns, response latency, conversational turns, emotion recognition accuracy); (3) behavioral role-play assessments with trained observers blind to participant training status; and (4) semi-structured qualitative interviews exploring participant experiences, perceived competence, and workplace anxiety.
Preliminary findings indicate statistically significant improvements across multiple domains of social cognition from pre- to post-intervention. Participants demonstrated enhanced performance on the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (mean improvement = 12.3 points, p < .001, Cohen's d = 0.89) and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (mean improvement = 4.7 points, p < .01, Cohen's d = 0.67).
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