A Virtual Joy-Stick Study of Emotional Responses and Social Motivation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Posted June 30, 2014
An article about using virtual reality to examine social motivation and emotional perception in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders appears in Psychology Progress. The article, co-authored by Peter Mundy, a professor in the UC Davis School of Education and School of Medicine, looked at 19 children with higher functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD) and 23 age, gender, and IQ matched children with typical development (TD), who used a joy stick to position themselves closer or further from virtual avatars while attempting to identify six emotions expressed by the avatars, happiness, fear, anger, disgust, sadness, and surprise that were expressed at different levels of intensity. Read more here.
School Receives $1 Million Grant To Study Autism’s Impact on Education
March 2012
The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has awarded a four-year $1 million grant to School of Education professor Peter Mundy.
New Book on Education and Autism Edited by Prof. Peter Mundy
Educational Interventions for Students with Autism, published as the first in the Autism for Educators series by the UC Davis Mind Institute, has been released. The book is edited by Peter Mundy and Ann Mastergeorge. It provides information on topics related to deepening educators’ understanding of the issues and best practices involved in education for autism, including practical strategies for teachers, parents and school administrators. Purchase the book here.
UCTV Features on Autism & Education
Education Professor Peter Mundy, who serves as the Director of Educational Research at the UC Davis MIND Institute, is featured on UCTV for his talk on educating individuals with autism.
“Understanding and Educating Individuals with Autism: Elementary School and Beyond”
Peter Mundy explores the social behavioral, emotional and learning characteristics of higher functioning children with autism with an emphasis on challenges in school. Watch the program here.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Social Training for Autism
November 2009
Peter Mundy, professor and director of educational research at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, holds a multi-year grant that has been designated a priority by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This project is designed to develop virtual reality educational methods that can help very bright children with autism improve social and emotional regulation skills that will help them learn and adapt in school and vocational settings. In fall 2009, Mundy launched the development phase of a virtual reality lab, housed at the UC Davis Center for the Mind and Brain.
