Usability of Serious Games on Visual Attention in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the usability of serious games in increasing visual attention among children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The research had a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and control group with a follow-up period. The statistical population consisted of elementary school students with autism in Tehran in 2024. Using a convenience sampling method, 20 children diagnosed with autism from a specialized autism school were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in 20 sessions of serious game content through computer games but the control group received no interventions. Data were collected using the Visual-Auditory Integration Test before, after, and two months after the intervention. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that serious games had a significant effect on the visual attention of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These results suggest that serious games can improve visual attention in children with autism. Therefore, it is suggested to use such interventions to improve executive functions and academic performance in children with ASD.

Keywords

Main Subjects


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Volume 1, Issue 2
July 2025
Pages 44-52
  • Receive Date: 20 December 2024
  • Revise Date: 15 January 2025
  • Accept Date: 19 February 2025
  • First Publish Date: 01 July 2025
  • Publish Date: 01 July 2025