Serious game design for dolphin-assisted ASD learning

Abstract

Dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) is used to treat children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), where interactions with the dolphins can correct the child’s cognitive, physical or social-emotional response. However, this form of treatment has attracted much disapproval from the public and organizations, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), due to the lack of scientific evidence on the effectiveness of the treatment and also, DAT has a potential of causing harm to both the participants and the dolphins through injury or infections. Therefore, by using Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, it is possible to reproduce a virtual environment that will replicate the real world DAT environment, such as, human-dolphin interactivity, the dolphinarium backdrop and also the calming effects of DAT. Using VR technologies to create a human-virtual dolphin interaction in an immersive setting will allow DAT to be carried out in a virtual environment, protecting both ASD participants and dolphins from any harm or infections. The aim of recreating a DAT environment in a VR environment is also to make the treatment cheaper, more readily accessible to the masses and to be able to control the environment to ensure the safety of the participants and those involved.