An emotional learning environment for subjects with

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Francesca Bertacchini
Environmental and Territorial Engineering and Chemical
Engineering Department
University of Calabria, Unical
Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, ITALY
francescabertacchini@live.it

Eleonora Bilotta, Lorella Gabriele, Diana Elizabeth

Olmedo Vizueta, Pietro Pantano, Francesco Rosa,
Assunta Tavernise, Stefano Vena

Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, ITALY

eleonora.bilotta@unical.it; lgabriele@unical.it;
dayusnb7@hotmail.com; piepa@unical.it;
rosa.avvocato@libero.it, assunta.tavernise@unical.it,
stefano.vena@gmail.com

Antonella Valenti
University of Calabria, Unical
Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, ITALY
avalenti@unical.it

Physics Department
University of Calabria, Unical
Abstract Numerous studies highlight that serious games, 3D
virtual learning environments and Information Communication
Technologies can be powerful tools in supporting people affected
by Autism Spectrum Disorders. In particular, they can be very
effective in helping to recognize and comprehend social
behaviours and emotions.
In this paper, an authoring system designed and implemented in
order to stimulate and to facilitate the understanding of emotions
is presented (Face 3D). This software could be a highly
appropriate tool for autistic children with high cognitive
functions, who are often attracted by technology.
Keyword: Emotions, learning, autism, learning by doing,
emotional learning environment, teaching/learning strategies,
improving classroom teaching, multimedia/hypermedia systems,
advanced learning environments.

I.

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, advanced 3D virtual learning environments

have been designed and implemented in different fields, from
training simulation to scientific visualization, from medicine
to education. Hence, many researches highlight as individuals
affected by an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can use and
interpret virtual environments fruitfully [1, 2, 3], also learning
simple social skills [4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
Regarding the ASD, it refers to Autistic Disorder, Asperger's
syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and the
Generalized Disorder (pervasive) Development Not Otherwise
Specified. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders - DSM-V, the American Psychiatric Association
affirms that the symptoms of these disorders are so similar that
they can be considered belonging to the same continuum,
rather than separate entities. In the past, the diagnostic triad of
symptoms for these diseases involved lack of social interaction,
stereotyped communication, and restricted patterns of interest,
while today the DSM-V clusters symptoms in two fundamental
criteria: persistent deficits in social communication and social
interaction across contexts (not explainable by general

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developmental delays), and repetitive patterns of behaviour,

interests, or activities. These symptoms have to be present in
early childhood and limit or impair everyday functioning [9].
However, thanks to the contribution of autistic childrens
caretakers, several steps on understanding the true nature of
autism have been discovered. Hence, the possibility of accurate
and timely diagnosis has allowed immediate intervention at
different levels, from the most closely medical care to
educational plans.
Many developmental processes such as the imitative
repertoire that in a child arises during the first years of life and
allows to learn language and play with peers are disrupted in
the ASD. In this view, several specialized institutions hold
master courses devoted to train educators with specific
expertise in planning educational activities by using
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) [10, 11,
12, 13]. In particular, ICTs [14] and cognitive artifacts
facilitate the processes of imitation and joint attention. In fact,
different studies underline how technologies or multimedia
software programs can effectively support children and adults
with disorders which compromise emotional, relational and
behavioural abilities. Some authors [2, 15, 16] use
computerized technologies to teach social understanding, while
others [17, 18, 19] utilize multimedia technologies to help
children in recognize emotion and mental states. Moreover,
Burton et al. [20] find how delivering academic content via
iPad to adolescents with autism and intellectual disability can
successful influence retention. In comparative studies on
traditional materials versus contents delivered via iPad,
Neely et al. [21] demonstrate the feasibility of the iPads as a
powerful instructional method.
Regarding virtual environments, the major cognitive
achievements concerns visual-and spatial abilities, attention
and memory, i.e. the set of abilities that allows people to
mentally represent themselves in a virtual space and to rapidly
transform objects through rotation and modifications [22, 23,

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24, 25, 26]. By these systems, all information and experienced

emotions impress strongly the subject. Furthermore, the
improvement of perception, attention and memory, as well as
the facilitation of behaviour change are allowed through a
particular way of learning called learning by doing [27, 28,
29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34]. As an example, Silver and Oakes
(2001) investigated the use of the software the Emotion Trainer
to train individuals with ASD to recognize and anticipate
emotions in others. The program uses photographs of real
people as well as animated emotional expressions [35].
However, a number of software and virtual environments are at
disposal of educators and caretakers.
In this wide possibility of choice, at University of Calabria
(Italy) a new system called Face3D has been ideated and
implemented. The novelty of this software is represented by the
possibility of both inserting real people pictures (e.g.
relatives photos) for creating virtual avatars, and virtually
performing ad-hoc built social situations. Since individuals can
differ widely in the manifestation of ASD conditions (an oft
repeated quote that is difficult to attribute to one author is, If
you know one person with autism then you know one person
with autism [6]), a tool allowing personalized contents has
seemed the best choice. Social situations can be numerous and
very different; for example, in some researches danger
situations have been employed [3]. Moreover, thanks to its
easiness of use, the system could be used by high functioning
autistic (HFA): although there is not an official diagnosis of
the APA, in general, people referred to as having HFA are able
to communicate verbally, to read and write, and they do not
have a cognitive disability [6]. Moreover, many of HFA
individuals are spontaneously attracted by technology.
Nevertheless, educators or caretakers can easily learn to realize
proper contents.
This study aims at presenting Face3D system and its
possible educational use. In particular, the relationship between
emotions and autism, as well as a programme devoted to the
enhancement of empathy, are explored in the second section.
After an explanation of the use of the software in order to
realize the programme by educational technology (third
section), the instructional use of Face3D is proposed in the
fourth part of the paper. The realization of the scenes in the
virtual environment is briefly explained in the fifth part and,
finally, promising further developments are analyzed in
conclusions.
II.

EMOTIONS AND AUTISM

The first studies on facial expressions can be dated back to the

seventeenth century, even if the most famous are those by
Charles Darwin in The expression of the emotions in man and
animals [36]. In the twentieth century the most important
studies on the theories of emotions and their coding have been
carried out [37, 38, 39, 40, 41]. Regarding the coding systems
for facial expressions, the Facial Action Coding System
(FACS) [42, 43] is the most used in psychological studies and
the most precise from a psychometric point of view [44].
Other studies have been focused on the role of non verbal
communication in socialization [45, 46], demonstrating that
human heads move constantly [44, 47], and that also faces

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have constant movements as blinking [48, 49, 50]. Moreover,

these researches have demonstrated that transactions from
specific facial expressions to other ones are very fast; for
example, a smile can come to lips in a split second [51].
Furthermore, the synchronization of language production with
gestures is due to the coordination of several components:
arms, hands, and head have a structured time organization at
different levels [52, 53]. For this reason, for the recognition of
facial expressions, different researches have examined various
factors [54, 55, 56], as the recognition of familiar faces or the
intensity of a facial expression [57], or the identification of an
emotion during a continuum [58].
Having social-communication difficulties centred around
impairments in communication, impairments in social
behaviour, and repetitive behaviours [6, 59], individuals with
autism show difficulties in nonverbal communication such as
understanding and using facial expressions, as well as gestures
[60, 61, 62, 63]. However, many individuals with autism
spectrum disorders are able to use a wide range of nonverbal
means to communicate, but communication partners are not
always able to understand the meaning of the displayed
behaviours [64]. The difficulties in communication among
individuals with autism have some change: some subject learn
spoken language but show difficulties in an appropriate use;
many have echolalia and maybe use it with a communicative
meaning; some do not acquire functional speech, although
many studies suggest that the number of nonverbal individuals
is not nearly as high as has been believed [63, 65].
In the programme developed by Valenti [66], the first
objective is the recognition of different emotions displayed by
the autistic individuals and the other communication partners.
The proposal of intervention is arranged in five steps:
recognition of facial expressions in pictures; recognition of
facial expressions in schematic drawings; identification of
emotions in particular social situations; identification of
emotions caused by wishes; identification of emotions caused
by opinions. These steps can be realized thanks the new 3D
learning environment called Face3D, already used with
success in numerous educational activities [67, 68, 69, 70, 71,
72, 73].
III.

FACE3D

Face 3D is a user-friendly authoring system [48, 74, 75, 76],

that allows the modelling of virtual agents and their performing
in a 3D environment. In particular, the software has been
realized
by
Evolutionary
Systems
Group
(ESG,
http://galileo.cincom. unical.it/) at University of Calabria, and
consists of three Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs):
Face3DEditor for modelling virtual agents, Face3DRecorder
for animating them, and Virtual Theatre for the performing of
the modelled and animated agents [77]. A generic parametric
basic model (Figure 1) has been adopted as a starting point for
the generation of 3D heads. This model is constituted by a low
number of vertices (131) that is possible to move in order to
create new heads. These vertices have been chosen as matching
to the action of the muscles indicated in the FACS [42]. Thus,
seven standard facial emotions (anger, surprise, sadness, fear,
joy, disgust, attention) have been standardized and made

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available in the system (the creation of new small alterations in

these expressions are also possible). The "noise" function,
consisting in constant random movements of head and eyes
inspired by Perlins studies [78], has also been inserted.

Figure 3 THE GUI Face3DRecorder.

Figure 1 The parametric basic model in Face3D.

Regarding the GUIs, the main characteristics are the

following:
x Face3DEditor allows the facial 3D modelling of real
people. This interface offers the opportunity to insert
a drawing or a picture under the basic parametric
model (Figure 2), and to move the vertices to model
the character. In particular, it is possible to select a
vertex or a group of vertices of a specific facial area
(forehead, nose, eyes, mouth, cheek, chin, neck), or
add textures realized in other Computer Graphics
software (i.e. eyes and hair).

Virtual Theatre allows the implementation of a

performance importing the animations created in
Face3DRecorder, as well as the managing of the
performance of different virtual agents (Figure 4).

Figure 4 The GUI Virtual Theatre.

IV.

Figure 2 THE GUI Face3DEditor.

Face3DRecorder allows the animation of the created

virtual character synchronizing facial expressions
with pre-recorded files of speech. Users can select
the abovementioned seven standard facial
expressions or create new small alterations in these
expressions, using specific sliders for each part of
the face (Figure 3).

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EDUCATIONAL USE OF FACE3D

Starting from the programme developed by Valenti [66], as

present in paragraph II, the objective is the recognition of
different emotions displayed by the autistic individuals and the
other communication partners, using Face3D system.
Step 1 training on the recognition of facial expressions in
pictures. HFA subjects pictures and those of their relatives
are showed for recognition. In this step, using the virtual
learning environment, the participant can:
a) create a virtual face of himself/herself and work with
the software to learn how to manage different
emotions on his/her own face;
b) upload a photo of his/her parents or care-takers (an
example is present in Figure 5).

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Figure 5 3D virtual faces of a child and his relatives (mother, father, and
grandmother).

Step 2 Recognition of facial expressions in schematic

drawings (with assignation of scores). The autistic subject
observes casual facial expressions in schematic drawings and
recognizes the emotions.
In Face3D, the virtual learning environment allows the
creation of schemas thanks to the possibility to insert pictures
in the GUI. In fact, the system can show the vertices in
Face3DEditor.
Step 3 Identification of emotions in particular social
situations.
Step 4 Identification of emotions caused by wishes.
Step 5 Identification of emotions caused by opinions.
In these steps, using Face3D, the subject can:
a) analyze basic emotions in social contexts through a
guided process of decoding;
b) create small stories about social events.
Dialogues and social situations can be performed in the GUI
Virtual Theatre. Obviously, the different steps in Face3D
could also be arranged by educators, thanks to its
characteristic of easiness of use.
An iPad version of the 3D application (Figure 6) has also been
realized by ESG, based on the cross-platform engine Unity for
the development of the iPad plugin for the management of
contents. Face3D-iPad supports users during the experience by
providing the same content of the personal computer version,
but also allowing the portability and the access through the
touch screen opportunity. In fact, as initial studies confirm, the
multi-touch interface characterizing this pervasive technology
can be another key of force in autism intervention, since it can
stimulate manipulation, eye-hand coordination, perception and
intuition.

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Figure 6 IPad-based version of Face3D.

V.

HOW TO CREATE THE ANIMATION OF A SOCIAL EVENT

USING FACE3D

The first phase consists in the realization of virtual characters.

In the GUI Face3DEditor, the Menu File on the toolbar has to
be selected. Three different kinds of 3D faces (Woman, Man,
or General Model) can be chosen.
In Open Background a picture of real people can be inserted,
and the function Block Background utilized to lock the
uploaded background. The model can be adapted to the picture
moving the vertices and using the cursors X, Y and Z.
Afterwards, in the panel Colore&Texture, it is possible to
select the option Texture of a Photograph, and add textures to
the face. In order to add textures properly, it is necessary to
select both the location for the centre line of the image and a
specific part of the picture for each of the vertices. Moreover,
the image can be scaled by the function Zoom.
Other textures as ears or hair (created in 3D Max Design
software and exported in OBJ format) can be added; to put
each object in the right position three types of cursors are
active:
x Cursors position X, Y and Z they allow to move the
selected object along the three indicated axes.
x Scale Slider it determines the size of the object.
x Rotation Sliders X, Y and Z they allow the rotation
of the selected object around the three axes.
Through the Remove button the previously selected textures
for the object can be removed.
In Face3D Recorder, it is possible to import the virtual agent
created in Face3D Editor, and animate it. The interface allows
the choice of seven facial expressions (and the neutral one):
Happiness, Surprise, Fear, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and
Interest. Moreover, it is possible to move eight sliders for the
creation of alterations in the standard facial expressions; the
variations regard three areas: eyes, eyebrows , and mouth. In
the menu File, the command Open Audio allows the opening
of a .wav file on a timeline, where it is possible to determine
the creation of a event. The event is represented by a red point
(Figure 7), and consists in the starting of the speech, or the
choice of a facial expression, or the creation of a new facial

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expression. A series of events creates a continuum of different

facial expressions during a speech.

Regarding the software itself, the Laboratory of Psychology at

University of Calabria has planned a version by which it will
be possible to careful modify gestures. Moreover,
experimentations with Face3D-iPad, the iPad-based
application, are in progress.

REFERENCES

Figure 7 The facial expression Happiness in Face3D Recorder,

represented by a red point on the timeline.

Finally, the animations of the different characters can be

imported in the Virtual Theatre interface through the option
Add a character, in order to produce a performance in social
circumstances. Two or more characters can interact or a social
event can simply be represented. Different situations can be
generated.
VI.

CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS

Technology has proven to be an effective method of providing

students with special needs with opportunities to engage in
basic drill and practice, simulations or communication
activities that can be matched to their individual needs, levels
of functioning and abilities [7, 79]. Face3D, a system
developed at University of Calabria (Italy), can help to
enhance understanding and reasoning about others mental and
emotional states thanks to the possibility of creating avatars
and observe them in ad-hoc built social situations. It could be
a useful technology because, as Frith [80] affirms, autistic
children have to learn social skills systematically, in the same
way students learn their school lessons. Moreover,
personalized contents can be chosen or created by HFA
subjects, even if it is suggested that educators or caretakers
realize them.
The proposed 3D learning environment can be seen as a tool
for creating cognitive artifacts [81, 82, 83, 84, 85], and it can
be proposed in an individualized educational programme.
However, it is necessary to remove the current several
barriers for the use of technologies at school. For this reason,
firstly teachers should be aware of the opportunities
guaranteed by this kind of technologies. Moreover, a
collaborative use of devices is not only suitable but necessary
for ASD subjects.

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