Impact of extended reality interventions on core deficits and functional performance among individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study looked at virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality programs for autistic people. Researchers combined results from 31 different studies to see if these technologies help. They found that these programs significantly improved social skills, behavior, emotion recognition, and thinking abilities in autistic individuals. The results suggest these technologies could be helpful tools for autism support.

This comprehensive meta-analysis examined 31 studies (11 randomized controlled trials and 20 non-randomized trials) investigating extended reality interventions for autism spectrum disorder. Extended reality technologies include virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality applications used in therapeutic and educational settings. The analysis found statistically significant improvements across multiple core autism domains: social skills (SMD: 0.59), behavior (SMD: 0.61), emotion recognition (SMD: 0.86), and cognitive abilities (SMD: 0.92). All effects showed statistical significance with p-values ranging from 0.04 to <0.00001.

The research supports extended reality as a feasible and promising intervention approach for addressing core autism deficits and enhancing functional performance.

Extended reality interventions demonstrate strong evidence for improving core autism characteristics across multiple domains. These technologies offer promising therapeutic tools for allied health professionals. The significant improvements in social skills, behavior, emotion recognition, and cognition support integration of extended reality into comprehensive autism intervention programs.

The abstract does not report total sample size or specific participant characteristics. Quality assessment of included studies is mentioned but results not detailed. Heterogeneity assessment using I² statistic is noted but specific values not provided. Long-term follow-up data and intervention duration details are not specified.

Recently, extended reality technologies have been increasingly utilized in therapeutic and educational interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of extended reality interventions in addressing core deficits and enhancing functional performance among individuals with ASD. A systematic literature search was conducted across six databases-namely, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, CINHAL, and ERIC-from their inception to August 29, 2024, with no language restrictions. Studies were included if they (1) examined participants diagnosed with ASD; (2) employed an intervention utilizing virtual reality, augmented reality, or mixed reality; (3) used outcome measures related to social functioning, behavior, emotion, cognition, and anxiety; and (4) were published in a peer-review journal.

The standardized mean difference (SMD) was employed as the primary effect size indicator, while heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic. Additionally, the quality of the included studies was systematically analyzed. A meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled and 20 non-randomized trials was conducted using a random-effects model. The extended reality intervention resulted in significant improvements in social skills (SMD: 0.59, p = 0.04), behavior (SMD: 0.61, p = 0.004), emotion recognition ability (SMD: 0.86, p = 0.0005), and cognitive ability (SMD: 0.92, p < 0.00001) among individuals with ASD.

This study's findings substantiate the effectiveness of extended reality interventions for addressing core deficits and enhancing functional performance among individuals with ASD. Therefore, the utilization of extended reality in therapeutic and educational interventions for individuals with ASD is both feasible and promising.