Can a Virtual Reality (VR) game detect and treat ADHD symptoms in children?

Attention Deficit Disorder, generally known as ADHD has become one of the most common psychiatric mental health issues in children and teenagers. In the USA, more than 9.4% of children aged between 2 and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD.

However, the diagnosis of this mental health issue is still not quite definitive. Healthcare practitioners have to rely on subjective observations coming from the patients themselves through interviews or questionnaires.  

VR game in the rescue

To make the diagnosis more accurate and simpler, a Finnish research team is using VR game and eye-tracking.

The VR game is called EPELI which is short for “Executive Performance in Everyday Living”. Developed by the researchers at the Universities of Aalto, Helsinki and Abo-Akademi, the game will help in the proper diagnosis of ADHD.

In this game, children find themselves in a virtual room where they are tasked with everyday household chores like cleaning the room, brushing their teeth or making the bed. The twist here is to expose them to several types of distractions like toys buzzing, dogs barking or other openings to interact i.e. an open TV or computer.

The game provides a list of tasks that simulate daily life, such as brushing teeth and eating a banana. The player must remember the tasks even though there are distractions in the environment, such as a TV that is on. The game measures everything: how often the child clicks on the controls and how efficiently he or she completes the tasks. Efficiency correlates with functioning in everyday life, something children with ADHD often have trouble with.

Developer Topi Siro

Eye tracking also helps with ADHD diagnosis

Researchers also tracked eye movements from the VR headset to assess the participants’ gaze time as they complete each task.

The ADHD children’s gaze paused longer on different objects in the environment, and their gaze jumped faster and more often from one spot to another. This might indicate a delay in visual system development and poorer information processing than other children.

Liya Merzon, a doctoral student at Aalto University

Researchers also find that children are more willing to take part in the game compared to the typical neuropsychological tests. This means, in addition to identifying & assessing ADHD symptoms, VR technology has a good potential as a rehabilitation tool as well.

Final thoughts

Researchers envisage great potential in EPALI. With proper adaptation, the VR game may also assist with diagnosis and recovery therapies for health issues like autism, brain trauma, speech problems, declining memory in old age and symptoms related to cerebral palsy.