Eugene Ryan
| Affiliation | Institute of Liberal Arts and Science |
|---|---|
| Title | Associate Professor |
| Fields of Research | 1: Using Table Top Role-Playing Games to foster social skills and communicative confidence in young people with neurodiverse profiles or other social issues. 2: Linguistic development of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children |
| Degree | MA |
| Academic Societies | JALT, JALT Bilingualism SIG, National Autistic Society (NAS) |
| ryan.eugene.desmond.so Please append "tut.jp" to the end of the address above. |
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| Researcher information URL（researchmap） | Researcher information |
Research
For children on the autistic spectrum, even when their linguistic development has not been delayed, they typically struggle with interpersonal communication, particularly in group settings. They can have difficulty interpreting social cues, and often struggle with the unwritten rules of conversation, such as turn taking and consensus building. This can then have a further negative impact on their confidence and social development.
Roleplaying games may be an effective method of developing social skills for people on the autistic spectrum who are capable of spoken communication, in that it provides a safe and enjoyable framework for communication which is facilitated by use of the alter ego of the character played by the player.
This research project builds on the research of Kohei Kato ( a doctoral candidate at Tokyo Gakugeidai), who has developed a table top role playing game (TRPG) for which I created the official English language translation called Challenge Dungeon.
The researcher plans to explore the efficacy of this technique through game sessions for young people with neurodivergent or social issues. It is hoped that in this way the social isolation of such people can be ameliorated or reversed.
Theme1：Using Table Top Role-Playing Games to foster social skills and communicative confidence in young people with neurodiverse profiles or other social issues.
Overview
Children and teenagers who are neurodivergent or face other social issues are at high risk of social isolation which can exacerbate their issues of loneliness or lack of functionality in society. Using Table Top Role Playing Games (TTRPG) can provide a safe space within which they can enjoyably express themselves and build the confidence to improve their social outcomes.
Selected publications and works
Presentation - Autism, Communication & Role-Playing Games, Creating Connections 2022: Pride in Diversity, Nagoya International School
Presentation - Challenge Dungeon. Creating Positive Social Experiences through Collaborative Roleplay, Japan Learning Support Network Conference, November 2022, Aoba Japan International School
Keywords
Title of class
Culture and Communication 1
Culture and Communication 2
English Grammar 1
English Listening and Speaking 3
English Reading and Writing 2
English Reading and Writing 4