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Why are we developing iSocial?
The three dimensions of iSocial
Support for iSocial
Where can I learn more?
Why are we developing iSocial?
Youth identified with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have deficits in social competence that can lead to problematic social behavior and social isolation. This can lead to a lower quality of life, as well as deficits in other developmental areas such as language and cognition. The iSocial project undertakes research and development to test and advance a set of principles and methods to enable and enhance social interaction for individuals with ASD. The long term aims of the project are to implement a virtual world that supports positive social interaction, enables learning of social competence with transfer to other settings, enables learning of other academic and workforce preparation subjects for youth with social deficits, and supports a community of educators, parents and youth as they address the needs of youth with ASD.
The Three Dimensions of iSocial
iSocial is an innovative online system that includes 1.) a social space, 2.) a social competence curriculum and 3.) a networked community. In the social space, learners participate in immersive, interactive and socially-mediated activities that target the development of social competencies. Learners interact within the learning environment by playing games, watching instructional videos, conversing and working on tasks together—all facilitated by a trained instructor. These activities are a curriculum called the Social Competence Intervention Cognitive Behavior Intervention (SCI-CBI) for social competence training developed by Dr. Janine Stichter and team in association with the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the University of Missouri. This curriculum targets individual skills deficits as well as deficits recognized throughout the ASD population. iSocial also aspires to become an online networked community for students, parents and teachers who may not have ready access to quality training and support. As an online system for community, iSocial can motivate, support and sustain social interaction and progress toward social competence without regard to traditional limitations of time and geography.
Support for iSocial
Gift: Thanks to a generous gift from the Gaberino Family designated to Dr. Stichter for enhanced social competence interventions, the team was able to begin design work and examine possible development environments.
University of Missouri Research Board Grant: This grant of $22,800 provided partial support for the development of an initial implementation of iSocial which included a small set of the curriculum materials in the 3D VLE. This implementation was used for usability testing in September, 2008 and for a pilot test in October, 2008.
Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Grant: This grant of $48,578 provided partial support for the development of an initial implementation of iSocial which included a small set of the curriculum materials in the 3D VLE. The award also supported including an efficacy study as part of the pilot implemtation. The efficacy study was undertaken in October, 2008.
AutismSpeaks Grant: This grant for $199,975 over a two-year period supports developing the concept of social orthotics within iSocial and conducting a proof of concept efficacy study. The grant period is October, 2008 through September, 2010.
Where can I learn more?
We have created multimedia presentations to provide an overview of the project goals and system design. These presentations are available on the videos page and the screenshots page.
We have also provided a list of academic publications which you can access from the publications page.
