Gameful approaches for the education of autistic children: a systematic mapping and research agenda

The education of autistic children is highly challenging and has been calling the attention of different types of professionals to offer solutions capable of helping in the education of these children. One of the most promising possibilities is the use of gameful approaches (e.g., serious games, simulators, and gamification) in the teaching of autistic children. However, despite the recent efforts, it is difficult to understand how these approaches have been developed and applied. To face this problem, we conducted a systematic mapping investigating the design and application of gameful approaches for the education of autistic children. The main results indicate a predominance in the use of 2D games for personal computers, focusing on the contexts of nature, home, and city, analyzed by qualitative approaches. Our study mainly contributes to the areas of educational technologies, mental health, and game-based learning, by providing a general view and a research agenda on the design, use, and evaluation of gameful approaches in the educational process of autistic children.