Assessing Remote Social Interaction for Autistic People Using Physiological Signals in a Collaborative Virtual Reality Workplace
The study focuses on enhancing workplace experiences for autistic people by addressing professional burnout risks. Acknowledging the benefits of sensory adjustments for autistic employees, previous interactions with autistic participants associations and inclusive organizations highlighted challenges in gauging emotional well-being during workplace social dynamics and tasks. This study delves into real-time evaluations centered on collaborative task-based social interactions. The methodological design consists of a Collaborative Virtual Simulation (CVS) specifically crafted for vocational training targeting autistic people. We have implemented a feedback system for real-time monitoring of cognitive stress, mental workload, and emotional selfregulation within the CVS. The assessment of our approach involved analyzing cognitive stress, mental workload, and physiological synchronization of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), amidst neuroatypical and neurotypical pairs within the CVS. Significant RSA synchronization was found, with significant changes in cognitive stress and workload metrics throughout CVS sessions, making physiological states more palpable for the autistic participant. This elucidation aids emotional well-being. The data suggest indicators for effective remote social interaction based on RSA synchronization and autistic brain activity patterns, indicating neurotypical individuals’ positive emotional state during CVS interactions. The research accentuates the viability of such technologies in assisting autistic workplace integration by amplifying social interaction comprehension and providing emotional bolstering.
