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Effectiveness of Social Virtual Reality Training in Enhancing Social Interaction Skills in Children With
1Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong).
Insights
This study investigates virtual reality (VR) for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Social VR training shows promise for improving social interaction skills compared to traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Pediatric Psychiatry
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children.
- Children with ADHD often struggle with social cue interpretation and exhibit behavioral challenges in social settings.
- Virtual reality (VR) presents a novel therapeutic avenue for enhancing cognitive behaviors in children with ADHD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of social VR training for improving social interaction skills in children with ADHD.
- To compare social VR training against traditional social skills training and a waitlist control group.
- To hypothesize that social VR training will yield superior outcomes in social interaction skills.
Main Methods:
- A nonblinded, 3-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 90 children with ADHD.
- Participants were randomized to social VR intervention, traditional social skills training, or a waitlist control group (1:1:1 ratio).
- Assessments included the Social Skills Rating Scale-Parent and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and Attention, conducted by a child psychiatrist at baseline and post-intervention.
Main Results:
- The study is scheduled to begin in Q4 2023.
- Anticipated results suggest that the social VR intervention group will demonstrate enhanced social interaction skills compared to the traditional training group.
- Statistical analysis will involve t tests and F tests to examine differences in scale scores.
Conclusions:
- This RCT is the first to explore a social VR intervention for improving social interaction in children with ADHD in Hong Kong.
- Social VR training is posited to offer a safer and more effective learning environment than traditional methods.
- Findings may inform a larger-scale RCT for ADHD interventions.
Background:
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders among children. Children with ADHD have challenges in understanding social cues and behavioral problems when entering a social setting. Virtual reality (VR) has been applied to improve cognitive behaviors in children with ADHD. Previous studies have not adopted VR to improve social interaction competence and appropriateness in children with ADHD. VR offers a more effective alternative to therapeutic strategies for children with ADHD.
Objective:
This study aims to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of social VR training in enhancing social interaction skills compared to traditional social skills training in children with ADHD. We hypothesize that participants in the social VR training group are likely to perform better on social interaction skills than those in the traditional social skills training group.
Methods:
In this nonblinded, 3-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT), 90 participants with ADHD recruited from the community will be randomized 1:1:1 to the social VR intervention group, traditional social skills training group, or waitlist control group. The child psychiatrist will conduct assessments for each participant at baseline and after the intervention. The Social Skills Rating Scale-Parent will be used to assess the social interaction skills of the participants before and after the intervention. Participants in the social VR intervention group and traditional social skills training group will receive twelve 20-minute training sessions for 3 weeks. The participants in the waitlist control group will receive no training. The primary outcome measure is training acceptability and compliance. The secondary outcome measures are the child psychiatrist's assessment and the Social Skills Rating Scale-Parent before and after the intervention. Another outcome measure is the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and Attention. Differences in the scale scores will be examined using a t test and an F test.
Results:
This study is set to commence in the fourth quarter of 2023. It is anticipated that participants in the social VR intervention group will exhibit superior social interaction skills than those in the traditional social skills training group.
Conclusions:
To our knowledge, this RCT is the first study examining the feasibility and effectiveness of a social VR-based intervention for enhancing the social interaction skills of children with ADHD in Hong Kong. The VR-based social skills training is expected to provide a safer and more effective environment for children with ADHD to learn than the traditional approach. This study can lead to a full-scale RCT.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05778526; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05778526.
International Registered Report Identifier (Irrid):
PRR1-10.2196/48208.
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