Social Virtual-reality on Enhancing Social Interaction Skills in Children With Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Effectiveness of Social Virtual-reality on Enhancing Social Interaction Skills in Children With Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: a Three-arm Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

The study targets children with diagnosed ADHD and aims to (1) develop a social virtual reality-based intervention, (2) investigate its effects on improving the social skills and executive functioning of inhibitions, emotional control and attention of the children compared to traditional social skills training and (3) evaluate the subjects acceptability and compliance with social VR training for enhancing social interaction skills. It is hypothesised that the social interaction skills of the participants in the social VR training group are likely to perform better than those in the traditional social skills training group. Participants in the waitlist control group will receive no change in social interaction skills compared with the two intervention groups.

The study will be a three-arm randomised controlled trial comparing the effects of social VR-based intervention with traditional social skills training on social skills and executive functioning of children with ADHD. Participants in the social VR intervention group and traditional social skill training group will receive 12 training sessions for 3 weeks (4 sessions per week), and participants in the waitlist control group will be asked to retain their usual lifestyles for 3 weeks.

Inclusion Criteria:

• aged between 6 and 12 years
• ethnic Chinese
• residing in Hong Kong
• having received a diagnosis of ADHD by Child Assessment Service in Hong Kong or via private practice
• stable on pharmacological and/or psychological treatment for ADHD 8 weeks before baseline (determined by health care professionals on the basis of medication data and behavioural observation)
• no initiation or change of pharmacological treatment for ADHD during the intervention period
• the ability to read Chinese, and speak and listen to Cantonese by the child and by at least one of their parents or legal guardian
• willing to provide informed consent by both participants and one of their parents or legal guardian

Exclusion Criteria:

• comorbid autism
• mental retardation
• an estimated IQ lower than 85 (using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition (Hong Kong) (WISC-IV(HK)))
• autism spectrum disorder (previously diagnosed by health care professionals)
• comorbid acute psychiatric disorder (previously diagnosed by health care professionals)
• with a severe physical disability (e.g., blindness, deafness) or learning disability (e.g., dyslexia).