Abstract
Multimedia technologies and virtual reality offer unique possibilities to manipulate sensory, motor, interpersonal, and cognitive processes contributing to atypical developmental trajectories, thus holding an explosive potential to design innovative and engaging interventions. However, there has been little progress in developing interventions that go beyond the patient’s diagnosis or the fascination of technology and rather spring from a deep understanding of the specific neuropsychological processes to be nurtured in individuals. This perspective paper outlines how recent insights from developmental cognitive neuroscience can be leveraged to promote children’s multidimensional development and highlight future directions and challenges for innovating both research and clinical practice. Finally, we focus on some practical examples of multimedia and virtual reality activities we have designed to stimulate bodily-self experiences, which are crucial for building up a coherent sense of self and lay the foundation for interacting with the external world. Atypical bodily self is an early marker of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions (such as autism spectrum disorders) and seems to be under-targeted in research and clinical approaches.
Highlights
Building an Innovative Practice For many years, interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)have been strictly related to the core symptoms of disease and often proposed on this basis
Have been strictly related to the core symptoms of disease and often proposed on this basis. This “diagnostic” approach is becoming less convincing, as it is clear that any specific deficits are not necessarily present in all individuals with ASD, not specific to ASD, and not sufficient to explain the heterogeneity of the spectrum [1,2]
Recent studies further suggested that headsets can stimulate multiple sensory systems in people with sensory processing disorders [27], promote multisensory integration in cases of vestibular disorders [28], and provide three-dimensional auditory stimuli in a play context, thereby reducing perceived anxiety toward target auditory stimuli in adolescents with ASD [29]
Summary
Building an Innovative Practice For many years, interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Considering that new technologies allow us a great specificity of stimulation and intervention, in this perspective paper, we propose that to bridge research and clinical practice, it is necessary to use digital tools while looking at the function to be supported rather than at the actual diagnosis. Such a perspective encourages a new approach to intervention and provides a novel framework for the underlying research choices and further opens a transversal reflection on neurodiversity. We apply these key concepts by illustrating some examples of multi-technology activities designed to stimulate the bodily self in children with neurodiversity
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