Enhancing Motivation in Hybrid Therapy Games for ASD

Abstract

Hybrid games have been shown to be an effective tool for cognitive-behavioral therapy. We developed the hybrid therapy game Invasion of the Wrong Planet and conducted two consecutive studies both with children with and without autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). The studies contrast the design principle of "Encouraged Collaboration" (ECC) with the design principle of "Enforced Collaboration" (EFC). While EFC has been used in recent work on therapy games for ASD, EFC is derived from specific aspects of behavioral therapy. The results show that children across both groups prefer ECC over EFC, while both design principals elicit comparable degrees of collaboration between players. The higher preference may increase motivation and therefore ECC could enhance the effectiveness of games used in behavioral therapy. Latter aim at fostering the social competence and communicative skills of children with ASD.