Developing virtual reality programs to address social skills deficits in youth with ADHD

Project Summary Children with ADHD often have social skills deficits that are not adequately addressed through clinical care or school programs. Therapy or social skills training to address these deficits are often inadequate, irregular, or inaccessible, with potential long-term consequences for children, their families, and society. Addressing deficits in social-emotional functioning via group sessions, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or role-playing can improve empathy and prosocial behaviors, but require time, engagement, and resources that families often struggle to find. One manner to address these limitations is through virtual reality (VR), which can provide naturalistic yet controlled environments in which users can experience interactions from multiple viewpoints and across a variety of settings. OpenMindXR, LLC, is developing a suite of immersive VR programs that provide engaging, replayable modules directed at improving social skills in children with ADHD, in a manner that is easy to access at home. This content is presented within environments with modifiable audiovisual background content, so users can begin with low-distraction virtual interactions and progress towards more realistic, high- distraction levels. Based on our ongoing research, the OpenMindXR program will consist of three distinct modules. In the PerspectiVR module, users experience virtual interactions, and then re-experience the interaction from the virtual counterpart's point of view, to better understand the thoughts and feelings of others. In the Social Skills Challenge module, users view scenes and are assessed for potential social-emotional biases, and they can then identify and practice strategies for regulating emotions and behaviors. In the Virtual Practice of Emotion Recognition (ViPER) module, users are assessed on their ability to identify specific emotions in virtual counterparts and can work to adaptively improve their abilities. In our laboratory research, children find these VR programs to be enjoyable, engaging, and easy-to-use. This proposal will convert and update research software into a combined VR program available for home use on a VR headset. Following development, we will undergo an iterative testing and feedback with 48 total families of children aged 9-15 with ADHD, performed in four separate cohorts. During this testing phase, children with ADHD will use the OpenMindXR program for a one-month period, with families providing feedback during and after this trial on usability, enjoyment, and real-world behaviors. Following each cohort of 12 families, OpenMindXR will update the program based on feedback and begin testing on the next cohort. In this manner, we plan to achieve the following aims: (1) To complete development of a beta version of the Virtual Interaction Practice (VIP) Suite of VR programs; (2) To assess usability of the VIP Suite by children with ADHD; and (3) To evaluate the impact of the VIP Suite on social cognition and social skills. Satisfying these aims will promote continued development of an accessible, adaptive, enjoyable VR program for children with ADHD, to empower them to improve their social skills on their own, or to supplement clinical or school programs with additional support.