Maryam Ahmed Abdullah, a researcher in the Department of Business Administration at the College of Education, Administrative and Technical Sciences at the Arabian Gulf University, discussed the findings of her master’s thesis titled “Factors Influencing the Adoption of the Metaverse for Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Kingdom of Bahrain”, reviewing the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating immersive technologies into the special education sector, particularly in the education of students with autism spectrum disorder.

Through this study, the researcher sought to assess the readiness of specialists and teachers to use the metaverse as an innovative educational tool that meets the needs of students with autism spectrum disorder within a safe virtual environment. The results showed that the adoption of the metaverse is not only related to technical aspects but also to the extent to which the virtual environment accommodates students’ sensory sensitivities, improves social interaction, enhances attention, and supports the understanding of facial expressions through virtual characters (avatars).

The study showed that teachers’ behavioral intention to use the metaverse is associated with four main factors: intensive hands-on training; the provision of educational content tailored to students with autism spectrum disorder—preferably in Arabic; institutional support; and parental acceptance.

The researcher recommended adopting a phased strategy for implementing metaverse technology and developing an integrated system that balances technological innovation with the behavioral and sensory needs of students with autism spectrum disorder. She called for providing hands-on training for teachers, the development of educational content in Arabic that is tailored to students’ sensory needs and raising parents’ awareness before expanding the use of the metaverse in special education.

The thesis supervisory committee consisted of Prof. Fairouz Al-Damour, Professor of Management Information Systems; Prof. Adel Bouhoula, Professor of Computer Science; and Dr. Wid Al-Daghustani, Assistant Professor of Special Education. The thesis defense committee included Dr. Walid Abdulaziz, Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Bahrain, as the external examiner, and Prof. Dr. Mariam Al-Shirawi from the Arabian Gulf University as the internal examiner.