Author(s): Avalie Sego
Mentor(s): Kent Hinkson, Malisa Brooks
Institution UVU
Social acuity, or the ability to ascertain and appropriately respond to the psychological states of others, is crucial when engaging in meaningful interpersonal relationships and is a key area of difficulty for neurodivergent individuals. Low social acuity levels significantly increases the risk of social isolation, often resulting in substantially lower quality of life. Limited routine social interactions and decreased interpersonal contact throughout the COVID- 19 pandemic has increased feelings of isolation for many and proven particularly troublesome for neurodivergent individuals with autism and/ or ADHD. Neurodiverse people struggling with social isolation are more likely to experience stress, decreased somatic health, inhibited cognitive processing, and increased depressive and anxious symptoms than their neurotypical peers when socially isolated. Additionally, these individuals are less likely to seek professional help or reach out to peers for support, furthering their feelings of isolation. For those who do seek help, due to differences in cognitive functioning and emotional regulation, standard talk therapy has been shown to be less engaging and effective for neurodivergent individuals than neurotypical individuals. In these cases, recreational group therapies, skill development support groups, and specialized forms of talk therapy show promise. One unconventional, particularly promising method for addressing social isolation in such scenarios is the use of role-playing games (TTRPGs—Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Lancer, etc.) as a method of recreational therapy. The focus of this research is to explore a methodological design of an intervention utilizing TTRPGs in a recreationally therapeutic setting and how it may affect social acuity in neurodivergent college students. TTRPGs utilize a fantasy setting to encourage communication, socialization, self- realization, and explorations of logic through teamwork and storytelling, making TTRPGs a particularly promising tool for those treating neurodivergent clients. The study of TTRPGs in therapeutic settings has increased in recent years, though research concerning social acuity and neurodivergence is lacking. The intention of this proposal is to further discussions with the audience about a proposed study concerning a potential alternative therapeutic method, encourage discussion and exploration of the topic, and build an informative and actionable study using innovative and accessible techniques.