Autonomy is a central concern for many caregivers of autistic individuals, particularly in domains such as mobility, where environmental complexity and variability pose significant challenges. In this work, we explore a cross-reality approach to support the development of autonomous public transportation skills—specifically intercity train travel—through a combination of Virtual Reality (VR), in-situ Augmented Reality (AR), and a conversational agent. Our system provides at-home VR training to simulate travel scenarios, AR-based support during real-world travel, and interactive guidance through a conversational interface, creating a cohesive and adaptive learning experience. We conducted a field study with ten participants over three months, which showed autonomy improvements comparable to state-of-the-art methods. Our findings contribute updated insights and design considerations for the application of cross-reality systems in accessibility and mobility training for neurodiverse users.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that can affect autonomy and independence. Our research explores the integration of Cross-Reality and Conversational Agents for Autistic persons to improve ability and confidence in everyday life situations. We combine two technologies of the Virtual-Real continuum. User experiences unfold from the simulation of tasks in VR to the execution of similar tasks supported by AR in the real world. A speech-based Conversational Agent is integrated with both VR and AR. It provides contextualized help, promotes generalization, and stimulates users to apply what they learned in the virtual space. The paper presents the approach and describes an empirical study involving 17 young Autistic persons.

MagicMuseum is a set of team-based, immersive, full-body activities for Cultural Heritage Education of primary school children. MagicMuseum exploits the interactive and multisensory capability of the Magic Room, an indoor smart space equipped with IoT-enriched components such as floor and wall projections, smart lighting, music and sound, motion and gesture sensors, and smart objects. The paper describes MagicMuseum and briefly reports an exploratory study involving 22 children at a local primary school.

Measuring cognitive functions is a complex and challenging process, and researchers usually conduct their study in experimental settings and with standardized tests. Such an approach is raising more and more criticism. Especially about the capability of psychology’s laboratory experiments to provide generalizable and accurate indicators of impairments outside the laboratory boundaries in everyday life. This is acknowledged as the ”real-world or lab” dilemma. Most tests traditionally performed using paper-and-pencil may fail to detect the individual’s difficulties in the real world. The scientific community has launched a quest for new digitized, interactive, and more ”ecological” versions. Our work investigates a novel approach to this topic that exploits interactive Multi-Sensory Environments (iMSE) and questions how iMSEs could contribute to the neuropsychology assessment field. The paper describes NEP-Neuro-Psychological Suite, a set of game-based activities in iMSE inspired by widely adopted neuropsychological tests. The suite provides a context in which existing or new neuropsychological tests can be experimented, extended, and modified with stimuli, contents, and tasks closer to real-world situations. We report an exploratory empirical study (N=22) on a well-known test to assess attention skills, the Stroop Test. The results, although very preliminary, provide insights into the effects of transposing classic tests into a novel form and the role that iMSEs can play in the debate about the ”real-world or lab” dilemma.

Cognitive rigidity and behavioral and communication problems are the most common symptoms that characterize Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In fact, people with ASD face complications in everyday life, from interacting with other persons to being autonomous in the most ordinary daily tasks. To overcome these limitations and improve their quality of life, we developed 5A. 5A exploits cutting-edge technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Conversational Agents (CA), combining smartphones and wearable headsets to offer new forms of intervention to persons with ASD. Virtual reality experiences enable learning common tasks, such as using public transport, through simulation in a safe environment. When people are in similar real-life situations, AR can help them generalize the skills they have learned in VR by overlaying interactive media assets on top of the view of the physical world around them. A customizable conversational assistant provides individualized prompts and feedback in both VR and AR to provide maximum user support.

Interactive Multi-Sensory Environments (iMSEs) are room-sized interactive installations equipped with digitally enriched physical materials and ambient embedded devices. These items can sense users' presence, gestures, movements, and manipulation, and react by providing gentle stimulation (e.g., light, sound, projections, blowing bubbles, tactile feel, aromas) to different senses. Most of prior research on iMSEs investigates their use for persons with disabilities (e.g., autism). Our work focuses on the use of iMSEs in primary education contexts and for mixed groups of young students, i.e., children with and without disability. The paper describes the latest version of an iMSE called Magic Room that has been installed in two local schools. We report two empirical studies devoted to understand how the Magic Room could be used in inclusive educational settings, and to explore its potential benefits.

The paper describes the design of Ahù, a nomadic smart multisensory solution for children's playful learning. Ahù has a combination of features that make it unique to the current available multisensory technologies for learning: it has a totem shape, supports multimedia stimuli by communicating through voice, lights and multimedia contents projected on two different fields on the floor and allows cooperative and competitive games. The system is nomadic, so it can be moved around, and can be controlled with easy input methods. An exploratory study investigates and provides Ahù's potential to promote engagement, collaboration, socialization and learning in classrooms.