Study: Virtual Reality Game Detects ADHD Symptoms in Children - ADDitude

January 19, 2023

Virtual world (VR) games whitethorn beryllium utilized to accurately and objectively diagnose ADHD symptoms successful children, according to a squad of Finland-based researchers. Their recently developed VR game, Executive Performance successful Everyday LIving (EPELI), performed amended than modular behavioral tests successful distinguishing children with ADHD from those without ADHD successful a tiny survey of 76 subjects. According to the study, “EPELI showed predictive validity arsenic the ADHD radical exhibited higher percent of irrelevant actions reflecting little attentional-executive efficacy and much controller movements and full crippled actions, some indicative of hyperactivity-impulsivity.”¹

Unlike the questionnaires, interviews, and objective observations commonly utilized to assess ADHD, EPELI simulates tasks that hap successful mundane life. Players are asked to retrieve to prosecute successful elemental tasks similar brushing their teeth oregon eating a banana contempt distractions successful the environment.

“The crippled measures everything: however overmuch the kid clicks connected the controls and however efficiently they execute the tasks,” says Topi Siro, the developer of EPELI. “Efficiency correlates with mundane functioning, wherever children with ADHD often person challenges.²

How EPELI Gauges ADHD

EPELI presents 13 task scenarios to players implicit 25 to 35 minutes. Each script includes 1 wide taxable (e.g. greeting routines) and 4 to 6 subtasks (e.g. lavation hands). Participants prosecute successful an acquisition signifier and execution signifier for each scenario. The execution signifier indispensable beryllium completed wrong 90 seconds.

A erstwhile survey of EPELI successfully distinguished children with ADHD from a neurotypical power group.¹  That probe was precocious replicated successful a survey published by Nature, but with an added behavioral marker: ocular attention.³ Children played EPELI followed by a 2nd VR crippled called Shoot the Target. The second tracked oculus question by asking participants to “shoot” virtual objects with their gaze.

Liya Merzon, a doctoral researcher astatine Aalto University, said this proved to beryllium “an effectual mode of detecting ADHD symptoms.”

“The ADHD children’s regard paused longer connected antithetic objects successful the environment, and their regard jumped faster and much often from 1 spot to another. This mightiness bespeak a hold successful ocular strategy improvement and poorer accusation processing than different children.”²

Practical Applications of VR for ADHD

In a recent ADHD Experts webinar connected this topic, Randy Kulman, laminitis of LearningWorks for Kids, explained wherefore VR games whitethorn connection a much broad and utile mode to measurement ADHD behaviors.

“As idiosyncratic who does assessments connected a regular basis, I cognize that the tools I usage — similar the Continuous Performance Test, tests from the NEPSY, the Auditory Attention and Response Subtest — are lone capturing definite kinds of things from the kids. And immoderate of it involves reflection and hand-scoring,” Kulman said. “Whereas erstwhile you are utilizing VR to measure kids with ADHD, you’re picking up connected everything. You’re picking up connected their oculus movement. You’re seeing however rapidly they really respond. You’re seeing what they bash erstwhile determination are transitions. You’re seeing however overmuch they’re really looking oregon paying attraction to distractors.”

Erik Seesjärvi, a doctoral researcher astatine the University of Helsinki and objective neuropsychologist astatine Helsinki University Hospital, said EPELI is disposable for professionals to usage successful their objective enactment and that “the acquisition has been precise positive.”

“All of the neuropsychologists who answered a feedback survey aft the archetypal aviator said they had benefited from utilizing virtual world methods arsenic a complementary instrumentality successful their work.”²

Its creators accidental EPELI could beryllium utilized to recognize and measure different conditions including age-related diseases, autism, connection problems, encephalon trauma, adult ADHD, and cerebral palsy.

VR is being utilized much commonly contiguous successful ADHD treatment. Companies similar XRHealth and Amelia Virtual Care are utilizing VR successful their intelligence wellness attraction practices, and respective probe centers are present investigating the efficacy of VR treatments successful improving ADHD symptoms specified arsenic moving memory, enforcement function, and cognitive processes. Though further probe is needed, archetypal analyses reason that “this technology, by simulating and providing a virtual situation for diagnosis, training, monitoring, appraisal and treatment, is effectual successful providing optimal rehabilitation of children with ADHD.”⁴

Virtual Reality Games for ADHD: Next Steps

• Download: Free Guide to Brain-Boosting Video Games
• Download: Expert Overview of Common ADHD Diagnosis Mistakes
• Read: FDA Approves First-Ever Game-Based Therapy for Attention
• Read: Akili Expands Prescription Digital Therapeutics Portfolio with TALi Partnership

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