Tandra Allen, M.S., head of virtual reality training programs at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas, plays a game designed to assess and improve social cognition skills.
By Matt Petronzio2014-10-23 09:03:21 UTC
When Carly McCullar, 32, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as an adult, she wanted to improve her social and communication skills before heading into the next stage of her life.
Never having received such help before, she volunteered to participate in a unique treatment program: virtual reality. Sitting at a computer that tracked her facial expressions, the game tested her social cognition and provided feedback, McCullar played through various realistic scenarios, including a job interview, a confrontation with a loud neighbor and even dating.
The program, a collaborative effort from gaming technology experts and health researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas, simulates everyday experiences and social situations that are typically difficult for those with autism or anxiety disorders. And it's just one example in a growing trend in which video games are forms of therapy.
"The program starts to not feel like a game ... It feels real," McCullar tells Mashable. "You know it is an alternate reality, but you feel the same emotions you would feel in the actual situation you are practicing."
That's the program's purpose: The immersive experience allows users to train their responses and handle certain scenarios to prepare for everyday life. In McCullar's case, her confusion transformed into emotional connection. The "social mistakes" she made in the game, she explains, made her rethink actual conversations and situations.
"No matter where individuals fall on the autism spectrum, those diagnosed often struggle to succeed in a world based on human interdependence," says Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth.
Chapman says the Center for BrainHealth began using a virtual reality platform more than seven years ago to see how leveraging technology in a safe, controlled environment could induce brain, cognitive, social and real-life changes.
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