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CASE REPORT article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain-Computer Interfaces
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1434792
This article is part of the Research Topic Clinical Applications and Ethical Considerations of Brain-Computer Interfaces View all articles

Case Report: Novel use of clinical brain-computer interfaces in recreation programming for an autistic adolescent with co-occurring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Provisionally accepted
Susannah Van Damme Susannah Van Damme 1*Leslie Mumford Leslie Mumford 1Aleah Johnson Aleah Johnson 1Tom Chau Tom Chau 1,2*
  • 1 Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada
  • 2 Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In recent years, several autistic 1 children and youth have shown interest in Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital's clinical brain computer interface (BCI) program. Existing literature about BCI use among autistic individuals has focused solely on cognitive skill development and remediation of challenging behaviours. To date, the benefits of recreational BCI programming with autistic children and youth have not been documented. Purpose: This case report summarizes the experiences of an autistic male adolescent with co-occurring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder using a BCI for recreation and considers possible benefits with this novel user population.Methods: A single retrospective chart review was completed with parental guardian's consent.The participant demonstrated enjoyment in BCI sessions and requested continued opportunities to engage in BCI programming. This enjoyment correlated with improved Canadian 1 Identity-first language is the preferred language of many, though not all, people in the autism community (Keating, et al., 2023). We use this language but recognize that individual preferences will vary and should be respected. Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) scores in BCI programming, outperforming scores from other recreational programs. Additionally, clinicians observed changes in social communication efforts and self-advocacy in this first autistic participant. Conclusion: The use of brain computer interfaces in recreational programming provides a novel opportunity for engagement for autistic children and youth that may also support skill development.

    Keywords: Brain-computer interface, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Recreation, Participation, Occupational Therapy

    Received: 18 May 2024; Accepted: 23 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Van Damme, Mumford, Johnson and Chau. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Susannah Van Damme, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada
    Tom Chau, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.