VR Therapy Effective at Treating Phobias in Children and Adults with Autism

In two studies funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and Autism in Adulthood, researchers from the Newcastle University (NU), working in collaboration with the tech firm Third Eye NeuroTech, have created an effective VR system for treating phobias in people with autism.

The set-up (called Blue Room) – which does not require wearing cumbersome goggles and therefore eliminates the chances of developing vertigo – provides an opportunity to safely explore various scenarios involving specific fears, all the while interacting with a therapist and remaining in full control of the situation thanks to simple iPad controls.

According to the leader of both studies Professor Jeremy Parr from NU’s Institute of Neuroscience, avoiding situations which trigger children’s fears and phobias can sometimes become a massive time sink, let alone a source of daily stress.

“To be able to offer an NHS treatment that works, and see the children do so well, offers hope to families who have very few treatment options for anxiety available to them,” explained Parr in a press release.

In the first study (a randomised controlled trial), involving 34 children with autism between the ages of 8-14, the intervention group was treated over four weekly sessions in the Blue Room straight away, while the control group had to wait and received the VR treatment six months later.

Results showed that after the children were later introduced to the same situations in the real word, 40% showed improvement at 2 weeks, and 45% at 6 months, which is about on par with existing forms of treatment.

In the second study, eight autistic adults (ages 18-57) were exposed to the same protocol and then measured for improvement at 6 weeks and 6 months. At the latter point, five out of the eight participants were still exhibiting improved functioning in real-life situations.

“It is rare as a business that we get the chance to help young people and their families in such a dramatic and tangible way. But what we see with Blue Room is very anxious young people and adults coming in, yet within four of these specialized sessions they come out having combatted their fears,” said Eddie Nelson, Director of Third Eye NeuroTech.

The team is now conducting further experiments to determine why some people do not respond to the treatment, in hopes of improving the service in the near future.

Sources: paper, paper, ncl.ac.uk.