Immersive virtual environments: A comparison of mixed reality and virtual reality headsets for ASD treatment

Since ’90s the use of ICT tools has been considered very promising in treatments of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experiencing difficulties in social communication and interaction. Recent literature agrees on potential benefits of Virtual Reality based treatment, particularly in learning processes related to social interaction. The study in this paper describes a usability experience of people with ASD in using Oculus Rift and HoloLens, state-of-the-art Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) allowing users to experience Immersive Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality, respectively. The study focuses on a homogenous target of high-functioning young adults (age 21–23) and aims at evaluating acceptability, usability, and engagement of the two HMDs with respect to such target andproviding general guidelines about applications of the two HMDs.