Virtual Reality Attention Management
| Status: | Recruiting |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Psychiatric, ADHD |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Psychiatry / Psychology, Other |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 8 - 12 |
| Updated: | 3/23/2019 |
| Start Date: | June 2, 2016 |
| End Date: | July 2022 |
| Contact: | Juan Ramos |
| Email: | hs-airlab@ucdavis.edu |
| Phone: | 916-703-0294 |
Virtual Reality Attention Management Program for Improving Attention in Children
Problems with distraction are widespread in the 21st century, but for people with
developmental delays or behavioral challenges they can have more damaging effects. For
example, susceptibility to distraction is associated with worse school and social
performance, lower high school graduation rates, and increased incidence of serious
accidents. The investigators' goal is to improve understanding of distractibility and develop
a targeted treatment. The proposed intervention is based on models of habituation, which is a
term that means reduced physiological and emotional response to a stimulus (e.g. moving
object, or loud noise, etc.) as it is seen repeatedly. The investigators use virtual reality
technology to show study participants distracting stimuli repeatedly in a virtual classroom
setting, and their hypothesis states that participants will improve attention in the face of
distraction by training with this technology intervention. The virtual classroom setting is
especially relevant for children who have significant challenges with distractibility, such
as children with ADHD. This intervention will likely be effective in helping individuals with
other clinical disorders and perhaps the general population as well.
developmental delays or behavioral challenges they can have more damaging effects. For
example, susceptibility to distraction is associated with worse school and social
performance, lower high school graduation rates, and increased incidence of serious
accidents. The investigators' goal is to improve understanding of distractibility and develop
a targeted treatment. The proposed intervention is based on models of habituation, which is a
term that means reduced physiological and emotional response to a stimulus (e.g. moving
object, or loud noise, etc.) as it is seen repeatedly. The investigators use virtual reality
technology to show study participants distracting stimuli repeatedly in a virtual classroom
setting, and their hypothesis states that participants will improve attention in the face of
distraction by training with this technology intervention. The virtual classroom setting is
especially relevant for children who have significant challenges with distractibility, such
as children with ADHD. This intervention will likely be effective in helping individuals with
other clinical disorders and perhaps the general population as well.
Distraction is a growing and large public health problem with estimated societal harm due to
distracted driving alone at $123 billion. In the age of texting, social media and computer
pop-ups, distractions are unavoidable. There are no known interventions specifically
developed to reduce distractions from interfering with attention. This project will test a
treatment that combines virtual reality (VR) technology with habituation learning and
exposure therapy to reduce the ability of distractors to interfere with learning and
attention in children who are highly susceptible to being distracted. The investigators will
test the treatment in children with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) as they represent an enriched sample experiencing impairing distractibility that
interferes with their daily functioning. The investigators hypothesize that children who
suffer from severe distractibility can learn to ignore the distractors and improve their
attention in VR therapy that simulates environments requiring focused attention. The neural
targets of the therapy are both proactive and reactive control mechanisms used to suppress
distractor processing. The investigators will assess how well VR therapy is at modulating
distractor suppression via saccade metrics and measure the frequency of oculomotor capture by
distractors as well as the efficiency of distractor suppression before and after therapy.
Changes in head movement toward distractors, parent and teacher ADHD rating scales and
improved performance on attention-demanding tasks will further assess success of the therapy
and its ability to generalize to novel environments. Children will practice computer
exercises at home using a VR headset that simulates a classroom environment with a high rate
of distractors. Children will be performing attention-demanding tasks as if they were in a
classroom with the intensity and rate of presentation of the personalized distractions (e.g.,
peers talking, teacher walking by) adapted according to the child's performance. With today's
low-cost VR-gaming technology, children will be able to participate in habituation treatment
sessions at-home, several times a week, using a lightweight and comfortable VR gaming
headset.
In this "fast fail" test of the VR therapy, the project will assess the preliminary success
and feasibility of VR training to modify saccades to distractors in an adaptive training
versus nonadaptive training scenario. Data from this trial will determine whether to go
forward for a subsequent confirmatory study.
distracted driving alone at $123 billion. In the age of texting, social media and computer
pop-ups, distractions are unavoidable. There are no known interventions specifically
developed to reduce distractions from interfering with attention. This project will test a
treatment that combines virtual reality (VR) technology with habituation learning and
exposure therapy to reduce the ability of distractors to interfere with learning and
attention in children who are highly susceptible to being distracted. The investigators will
test the treatment in children with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) as they represent an enriched sample experiencing impairing distractibility that
interferes with their daily functioning. The investigators hypothesize that children who
suffer from severe distractibility can learn to ignore the distractors and improve their
attention in VR therapy that simulates environments requiring focused attention. The neural
targets of the therapy are both proactive and reactive control mechanisms used to suppress
distractor processing. The investigators will assess how well VR therapy is at modulating
distractor suppression via saccade metrics and measure the frequency of oculomotor capture by
distractors as well as the efficiency of distractor suppression before and after therapy.
Changes in head movement toward distractors, parent and teacher ADHD rating scales and
improved performance on attention-demanding tasks will further assess success of the therapy
and its ability to generalize to novel environments. Children will practice computer
exercises at home using a VR headset that simulates a classroom environment with a high rate
of distractors. Children will be performing attention-demanding tasks as if they were in a
classroom with the intensity and rate of presentation of the personalized distractions (e.g.,
peers talking, teacher walking by) adapted according to the child's performance. With today's
low-cost VR-gaming technology, children will be able to participate in habituation treatment
sessions at-home, several times a week, using a lightweight and comfortable VR gaming
headset.
In this "fast fail" test of the VR therapy, the project will assess the preliminary success
and feasibility of VR training to modify saccades to distractors in an adaptive training
versus nonadaptive training scenario. Data from this trial will determine whether to go
forward for a subsequent confirmatory study.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Significant (T score >= 60) ratings of Cognitive Problems/Inattention or DSM
Inattention scale scores on the Conners' Parent or Teacher Rating Scale-3 or Parent
ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS)
- Endorsement of 4 or more symptoms of inattention on a clinical psychiatric interview
(e.g. Parent DISC, DICA, Kiddie-SADS, Mini-KID)
- Comfortable using a computer
- Full Scale IQ > 80
Exclusion Criteria:
- Psychosis (by parent report at phone screen), significant depression, autism (15 or >
on Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ)), psychotic disorders, visual or hearing
impairment or any other disorder that may interfere with task performance
- It is in the investigator's opinion that it is not in the subject's best interest to
continue
- Subject is non-compliant with training schedule
- Subjects on pharmacotherapy for ADHD at the time of enrollment will be excluded from
Aims 3 and 4.
- Subjects starting behavioral or psychological treatment for ADHD during the training
phase of the study will be excluded
We found this trial at
1
site
Sacramento, California 95817
Principal Investigator: Julie B Schweitzer, PhD
Phone: 916-703-0294
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