STIMULATING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN STUDENTS WITH ASD FROM AN AUGMENTED GAMIFIED ENVIRONMENT

ABSTRACT

This research analyzes the potential of an Augmented Gamified Environment (AEG) to stimulate Communicative Competence (CC) in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) between 3 and 17 years of age. The methodology is quantitative, empirical, non-experimental (N=54), descriptive and correlational, with an exploratory and analytical nature. The objectives were: 1) to analyze if the EGA stimulates the CC; 2) to study the relationship between the level of competence and the degree of immersion and interaction of the students with the tablet; and 3) to infer the relationship between CC and gender, age, degree of ASD and type of language. The results highlight that the gamified experience with augmented reality significantly stimulates CC in these students. In addition, it is verified that, the greater the immersion in the gamified environment, the students reach a higher CC, and vice versa. The polarization of the results is observed according to the uniqueness of the students: close to half show a high level of competence, and another large part have a low or very low level. Specifically, older subjects, with a slight degree of ASD, functional oral language and no comorbidity present a higher level of competence. Interaction with digital and augmented reality resources in a gamified environment constitutes an ideal tool for stimulating students with ASD.

KEYWORDS
Communicative competence; Immersion; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Gamification; Augmentative reality