Development of virtual reality rehabilitation games for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Balance and coordination exercises improve the attention of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and exercise-based game treatments are effective in training children’s balance control and coordination and improving their cognition and intelligence. This study used immersive virtual reality exercise games as an intervention in rehabilitation to improve the attention, cognitive ability, abstract reasoning, and complex information processing of children with ADHD. This study is comprised of two stages: In the first stage, we interviewed experts in rehabilitation, made observations of rehabilitation sessions for children with ADHD, and developed three games focusing on training body coordination. In the second stage, we used the HTC VIVE (HTC, Taiwan), a virtual reality game console, in a 3-month training program developed for children with ADHD. We compared children’s attention, cognitive ability, abstract reasoning, and complex information processing before and after this program. The results revealed that children with ADHD improved their performance in attention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and oppositional defiance. Our results may serve as a reference for the clinical use of technological assistive devices in rehabilitation as well as for families, schools, and rehabilitation institutes in implementing daily training and rehabilitation programs for children with ADHD.