Heart rate variability in adolescents with autistic spectrum disorder practicing a virtual reality using two different interaction devices

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system, as indicated by alterations in heart rate variability (HRV). HRV can be influenced by virtual reality (VR), which affects physiological responses due to its sensitivity to environmental and emotional stimuli. This study aimed to assess HRV in individuals with ASD before, during, and after VR-based tasks over a 10-day period, specifically examining HRV fluctuations in response to concrete (touchscreen) and abstract (webcam-based) interactions. Twenty-two male adolescents with ASD were randomly assigned to two groups based on the sequence of task exposure (beginning with either the concrete or abstract task).