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Development of Digital Contents for ADHD Treatment Specialized for VR-based Children

  • Received : 2023.07.17
  • Accepted : 2023.08.20
  • Published : 2023.09.30

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a VR-based digital therapeutic intervention for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. The research combined medical data with virtual reality technology to develop an algorithm for ADHD diagnostic scales and implemented a VR-based digital therapeutic platform using a head-mounted display (HMD). This platform can be used for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in children and adolescents. Additionally, we four VR games were developed, including archery timing, Antarctic exploration, grocery shopping, and rhythm-based drumming(RBD), incorporating various psychiatric treatment techniques based on cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT). To evaluate the usability of this digital therapeutic intervention, a group of experts specialized in counseling psychology participated in the study. The evaluations received highly positive feedback regarding the ability to access the system menu while wearing the HMD, the consistency of terminology used in menus and icons, the usage of actual size for 3D graphic elements, and the support for shortcut key functionality. The assessments also indicated that the games could improve attention, working memory, and impulse control, suggesting potential therapeutic effects for ADHD. This intervention could provide a daily treatment method for families experiencing financial constraints that limit hospital-based therapies, thereby reducing the burden.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Following are results of a study on the "Leaders in INdustry-university Cooperation 3.0" Project, supported by the Ministry of Education and National Research Foundation of Korea.

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