Personalizing Live Avatar Interaction for Children with ASD Through Restricted Interests: A Feasibility Study

Virtual avatars have shown potential as supports in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) interventions, but many existing systems provide largely standardized interactions that do not account for individual variability. This study presents an exploratory evaluation of a virtual puppet system that enables real-time interaction by synchronously transmitting a human model’s movements, facial gestures, and voice to a digital avatar. The system was personalized using each participant’s restricted interests (RIs), identified through a clinical triangulation process involving therapist input, caregiver reports, and observation. After an initial technical validation with 16 neurotypical children, the system was evaluated in a proof-of-concept sample of 11 children with ASD (7 in an experimental group exposed to RI-based personalization and 4 in a control group interacting with a standard interface). Data sources included eye tracking and therapist-completed observational questionnaires. Across sessions, descriptive patterns in gaze fixation and therapist reports suggested that RI-based personalization may help sustain attention to the screen and support engagement with the therapeutic environment relative to non-personalized interaction. Heatmap patterns further indicated that children under the personalized condition visually explored RI-related elements within the scene. This study provides evidence of technical and procedural feasibility and generates hypotheses for future research.