Social skills: There is an extensive curriculum focused on con- versational skills in the Floreo catalog, starting with greetings (differentiating between friendly, unfriendly, and neutral greet- ings) and progressing through small talk, chit-chat, and finally freeform conversations with an AI character. Of course, a variety of social interaction targets may be found throughout most of the lessons. Listening comprehension: Coaches may find a number of listening comprehension opportunities throughout the lessons; however, the VR learning experiences that focus on animals and nature are a treasure trove for this skill. Floreo has also built a se- ries of five lessons that target following directions of increasing length and complexity. The titles of these lessons all begin with the phrase, “Listen and Find”. Emotional regulation: Emotional regulation lessons range from serene, passive experiences (sitting in an aquarium, or sit- ting in a snowfall) all the way through guided meditation experi- ences in those environments. Breathing and body awareness are both emphasized in these lessons. The “Peaceful Painting” lesson encourages Learners to consider their emotional state prior to the VR experience and again following the VR experience. Community-based skills : A critical skill for gaining indepen- dence is understanding how to navigate the community. There- fore, Floreo has developed lessons on understanding how a grocery store is organized, finding a bus stop, navigating airport security, as well as street crossing in various environments and under various conditions. Employment readiness: Floreo partnered with the Tennes- see Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD) to develop lessons on workplace readiness. These les- sons take place in common work environments, such as a mov- ie theater concession counter and a grocery store. In the movie theater, Learners are asked to manage a to-do list with one- and two-step operations, sometimes in the presence of interrup- tions or distractions. In the grocery store, Learners are asked to interact with one or two coworker characters to complete a job. Safety skills: Safety skills are another critical area needed for gaining independence. Floreo's safety-based lessons include in- teracting with police officers, crossing the street safely, dealing with bullying behavior, safety at a swimming pool, and storing groceries. Artificial Intelligence (AI) characters: For individuals who are 13 years old or older, Floreo has developed lessons involving conversations with an AI-driven character. These characters are able to have real-time conversations and respond to whatever the Learner says in the moment. The Coach is able to "prime" the AI character. For example, the Coach may ask the character to practice a job interview with the Learner or practice a difficult conversation with a roommate. The AI characters can also play word games, such as “20 questions”. Guard rails have been put in place so that Floreo’s AI characters will not deviate into inappro- priate topics of conversation. Otherwise, with these characters, the sky is the limit.
Figure 4: The full Floreo catalog with lesson descriptions may be found here.
MAKING AN IMPACT (ACCOUNTS FROM FLOREO USERS) In December 2024, Floreo co-hosted a webinar with Multiple (https://www.multiplehub.org/). This webinar featured 3 differ- ent users of the Floreo platform. These videos provide authentic, first-hand experiences with the product. A Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) from a private practice in Texas shared her experience using Floreo VR with her clients during the webinar. This SLP discussed how the tele-VR capabil- ities of Floreo allowed her to maintain an active practice during the recent pandemic and credited Floreo with making it easier for parents to continue in-person services once the restrictions were lifted. She has found Floreo practical to use with a variety of her clients. She incorporates parents into the therapy session with young children and described how Floreo is a good ave- nue for enhancing parent engagement with the therapy. She reported that by introducing VR to one of her clients, she was able to draw out this non-speaking 8-year-old in a way no tool or
YouTube Video: An SLP's experience using Floreo. https://youtu.be/cczCKwJ8AMo?si=slaxcOKFoTATHO7J
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