TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ravindran, Vijay
AU  - Osgood, Monica
AU  - Sazawal, Vibha
AU  - Solorzano, Rita
AU  - Turnacioglu, Sinan
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/9/30
TI  - Virtual Reality Support for Joint Attention Using the Floreo Joint Attention Module: Usability and Feasibility Pilot Study
JO  - JMIR Pediatr Parent
SP  - e14429
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
KW  - autism spectrum disorder
KW  - interpersonal skills
KW  - virtual reality, instructional
AB  - Background: Advances in virtual reality (VR) technology offer new opportunities to design supports for the core behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that promote progress toward optimal outcomes. Floreo has developed a novel mobile VR platform that pairs a user receiving instruction on target skills with an adult monitor. Objective: The primary objective of this pilot study was to explore the feasibility of using Floreo’s Joint Attention Module in school-aged children with autism in a special education setting. A secondary objective was to explore a novel joint attention measure designed for use with school-aged children and to observe whether there was a suggestion of change in joint attention skills from preintervention to postintervention. Methods: A total of 12 participants (age range: 9 to 16 years) received training with the Joint Attention Module for 14 sessions over 5 weeks. Results: No serious side effects were reported, and no participants dropped out of the study because of undesirable side effects. On the basis of monitor data, 95.4% (126/132) of the time participants tolerated the headset, 95.4% (126/132) of the time participants seemed to enjoy using Floreo’s platform, and 95.5% (128/134) of the time the VR experience was reported as valuable. In addition, scoring of the joint attention measure suggested a positive change in participant skills related to the total number of interactions, use of eye contact, and initiation of interactions. Conclusions: The study results suggest that Floreo’s Joint Attention Module is safe and well tolerated by students with ASD, and preliminary data also suggest that its use is related to improvements in fundamental joint attention skills. 
SN  - 2561-6722
UR  - http://pediatrics.jmir.org/2019/2/e14429/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/14429
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31573921
DO  - 10.2196/14429
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/14429
ER  -