A virtual environment for teaching social skills: AViSSS

For typical adolescents, developing appropriate social skills can be difficult. For those with Asperger's syndrome (AS), this task is much more difficult and can be a determining factor in school success. Recent studies indicate that students with AS, who are often visual learners, can learn social skills through computer-based tasks. To help individuals with AS deal with social challenges, researchers have developed the Animated Visual Supports for Social Skills (AViSSS) 3D virtual environment. In AViSSS, a rendering engine aids the rendering of animations, characters, objects, and environments. As students interact in the virtual environment, AViSSS presents them with various situations and possible responses. Each response delivers a different simulated result, along with an explanation of the choice.