Can virtual reality gaming help autism?
5 mins
Yair Ariel • April-4-2017
The answer will shock you… so read on. April is World Autism Awareness Month. During the month you are encouraged to wear blue and share the puzzle. Awareness also includes doing any other action that shows support. Autism awareness shouldn’t stop at only April. The next suggestion is one you can do year round. So, here’s what else you can do. Take your child to a Family Entertainment Center (FEC) that has virtual reality interactive gaming. Trust me this can be a fun experience for the whole family.
Kid with autism playing with make believe virtual reality headset
Virtual Reality Gaming
Virtual reality gaming is an application allowing you to experience a 3D environment and interact with it. Augmented reality and VR gaming used to be terms we used to describe the future. But, the future is now. In virtual reality gaming, the real life game stimulates vision and hearing. However, augmented reality enhances real life. In other words, augmented reality is a virtual overlay that enhances real life. The technology is typically through mounted equipment where physical movement of players controls games.
Autism and Virtual Reality Gaming
Autism delays language development impairs social skills and manifests increased repetitive behavior in kids. In fact, all can keep your child from academic and social involvement. As a result, kids with autism have problems processing everyday information. Virtual Reality (VR) has been a success an intervention for social interactions among people with autism. Above all VR has helped “provide safe, unlimited, and commonly encountered day-to-day contexts to practice social scenarios.”
So why VR gaming for autistic children? Because VR provides a multitude answers for the challenges of autistic kids. With virtual reality gaming, kids can increase their physical exercise helping decrease repetitive behavior. Also, this technology offers the opportunity for kids to develop hand-eye coordination.
Other possibilities include simple repetitive actions and social play. On the other hand, children that struggle with sensory issues can experience cause and effect without sensory overload. Similarly, VR gaming and augmented reality offer kids the opportunity to exert influence on their environment.
As a result, both kids and parents can enjoy the experience provided by this technology as well as the social interaction. Virtual reality gaming offers a solution to issues and helps your child social development.
About BEAM
BEAM interactive projector game system by EyeClick is the future of VR and augmented reality. The award-winning, innovative platform engages children through tailored games. BEAM helps early learning centers provide an immersive education, while encourages children to indulge in physical activities to work up a healthy appetite for learning. Learn more about BEAM
