The role of the avatar in increasing attention, memory and wellbeing indexes in girls with Rett Syndrome

As known in scientific literature (Fabio, Giannatiempo, Oliva, & Murdaca, 2011; Djukic, Rose, Jankowski, & Feldman, 2014; Fabio, Giannatiempo, & Caprì, 2019), people with RTT focus their attention mainly on the faces of people they interact with (Fabio, Caprì, Nucita, Iannizzotto, & Mohammadhasani, 2018; Fabio, Caprì, Buzzai, Pittalà, & Gangemi, 2019). The typical virtual instrument with faces is the virtual avatar. The avatar has been shown to be an effective instrument in enhancing attention in other disabilities (Fabio, Caprì, Iannizzotto, Nucita, & Mohammadhasani, 2019), however, the use of virtual avatars for people with RTT has not yet been explored. This study aims at examining whether the use of the avatar can improve attention and memory processes in girls with RTT.