Neurodevelopmental disorders are related to changes at the beginning of brain development that cause deficits in different areas (cognitive, behavioural, social) and persist throughout life, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The main types of interventions are behavioural therapies, which aim to increase the functionality and independence of these people. However, these interventions may have some limitations, such as the time needed for improvements to occur, the lack of generalization to the daily routine of some skills learned in the clinical environment, and often, the patient's lack of motivation to work on the skills. In this sense, adjuvant interventions have been studied, such as video games (VG’s). Studies show that VG’s can activate and stimulate different areas of the brain, which can contribute to the improvement or learning of different skills. In the case of clinical interventions, the use of VG’s can be a promising tool due to playfulness, narrative, and graphic design, which keep patients' attention on the task and increase their motivation to continue treatment.
However, although there is growing literature on the positive effects of VG’s in interventions for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as increased initiative, eye contact, recognition of emotional expressions, and decreased repetitive behaviours in ASD; and improvement in cognitive functioning (working memory, reaction time, attention) and a reduction in ADHD symptoms. Most studies only use serious games. That is, the serious games are games already developed for clinical purposes, and often may not have such an attractive design for the participant. This demonstrates the need for more studies that evaluate the effects of entertainment video games and other technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) on clinical interventions. Furthermore, other existing gaps in clinical intervention studies in neurodevelopmental disorders include a lack of assessments of aspects of patients' daily lives, instead of focusing only on circumscribed test results, participants with more severe degrees of ASD, and research in the field of emotional development. In this view, the main objective of this Research Topic is to present new contributions, highlighting insights, about the use of entertainment video games, VR, and AR in interventions in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Theoretical, empirical, experimental, and case studies will be accepted. All contributions must explicitly address the practical and theoretical implications of the research presented. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Theoretical perspectives on understanding VR, AR and entertainment video games in assessment and training programs for behavioral, cognitive or social aspects in neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Applications of VR, AR and entertainment video games for training cognitive functions in ASD and ADHD.
- Applications of VR, AR and entertainment video games for the training of social skills, recognition of emotional expressions or emotional development in ASD and ADHD.
- Interventions with VR, AR and entertainment video games in inappropriate behaviors ASD and ADHD .
- Assessment of patient acceptance and engagement in clinical interventions based on entertainment video games, VR and AR for neurodevelopmental disorders, considering usability and user satisfaction factors.
Keywords:
Video games, neurodevelopmental disorders, ASD, ADHD, Technologies
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Neurodevelopmental disorders are related to changes at the beginning of brain development that cause deficits in different areas (cognitive, behavioural, social) and persist throughout life, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The main types of interventions are behavioural therapies, which aim to increase the functionality and independence of these people. However, these interventions may have some limitations, such as the time needed for improvements to occur, the lack of generalization to the daily routine of some skills learned in the clinical environment, and often, the patient's lack of motivation to work on the skills. In this sense, adjuvant interventions have been studied, such as video games (VG’s). Studies show that VG’s can activate and stimulate different areas of the brain, which can contribute to the improvement or learning of different skills. In the case of clinical interventions, the use of VG’s can be a promising tool due to playfulness, narrative, and graphic design, which keep patients' attention on the task and increase their motivation to continue treatment.
However, although there is growing literature on the positive effects of VG’s in interventions for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as increased initiative, eye contact, recognition of emotional expressions, and decreased repetitive behaviours in ASD; and improvement in cognitive functioning (working memory, reaction time, attention) and a reduction in ADHD symptoms. Most studies only use serious games. That is, the serious games are games already developed for clinical purposes, and often may not have such an attractive design for the participant. This demonstrates the need for more studies that evaluate the effects of entertainment video games and other technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) on clinical interventions. Furthermore, other existing gaps in clinical intervention studies in neurodevelopmental disorders include a lack of assessments of aspects of patients' daily lives, instead of focusing only on circumscribed test results, participants with more severe degrees of ASD, and research in the field of emotional development. In this view, the main objective of this Research Topic is to present new contributions, highlighting insights, about the use of entertainment video games, VR, and AR in interventions in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Theoretical, empirical, experimental, and case studies will be accepted. All contributions must explicitly address the practical and theoretical implications of the research presented. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Theoretical perspectives on understanding VR, AR and entertainment video games in assessment and training programs for behavioral, cognitive or social aspects in neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Applications of VR, AR and entertainment video games for training cognitive functions in ASD and ADHD.
- Applications of VR, AR and entertainment video games for the training of social skills, recognition of emotional expressions or emotional development in ASD and ADHD.
- Interventions with VR, AR and entertainment video games in inappropriate behaviors ASD and ADHD .
- Assessment of patient acceptance and engagement in clinical interventions based on entertainment video games, VR and AR for neurodevelopmental disorders, considering usability and user satisfaction factors.
Keywords:
Video games, neurodevelopmental disorders, ASD, ADHD, Technologies
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.