Virtual reality (VR) has proven effective in teaching life skills to people diagnosed with intellectual disabilities, a new study has found.
In a joint University of South Australia (UniSA) and University of South Wales—Sydney (USWS) study, scientists and researchers discovered that patients could leverage immersive kit to build life skills with greater autonomy and independence from caregivers.
They also explored the potential of VR in twelve immersive training sessions and noted massive increases in life skills improvement, compared to subjects training via non-immersive tools like tablets.
Published in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 36 adult subjects participated in the experiment to learn about separating general waste from food organics, garden, and recycling waste.
Prof Tobias Loetscher, Associate Professor, UniSA said in a statement that VR offered people more firsthand experience when experiencing immersive environments.
He explained further,
“Research shows that ‘learning by doing’, otherwise known as experiential learning, seems more effective for this group compared to passive methods of learning. In our study, the VR group not only demonstrated real-world improvements in correctly sorting waste immediately after the VR training; they were able to sustain this improvement up to a week afterwards, in comparison to the non-immersive group.”
Additionally, Dr Stefan Michalski, Research Fellow, UNSW, said that people could use VR to experience activities in safe, repeatable, and controlled environments.
He explained,
“Opportunities for people with an intellectual disability to participate in hands-on learning are often minimal due to concerns around risk of injury, time constraints and lack of staff training. However, immersive VR simulates real-world experiences, giving the sensation of being physically present in an environment without real-world risks.”
Experiential Learning and ‘Closing the Gap’ in VR Deployments
From previous research, people with intellectual disabilities required more time to conceptualise and process certain forms of information. Additionally, they faced major issues with learning and applying life skills like hygiene, cooking, and cleaning without their caregivers.
VR learning and development (L&D) also has the capacity to train those with learning disabilities in using public transport, interacting with others, cooking, cleaning, and showering, among others.
Dr Michalski added that there was growing evidence of the benefits of VR, but that more was needed to “close the gap from research to implementation so that more people can benefit from this technology.”
He concluded,
“Our current work aims to address the unmet health needs of people with intellectual disability by using VR to prepare individuals for healthcare interactions, reducing the fear and anxiety associated with going to the doctor.”
The experiment recorded that only one of the 36 subjects experienced cybersickness, leading to dizziness and nausea, caused by incongruencies in their physical movement with immersive content.
Furthermore, although some were hesitant to use VR headsets, most of the people in the study responded they enjoyed their experiences.
Pallative Care Researchers Leverage Meta Quest 2, Wander, YouTube VR
The research follows similar work conducted with pallative care subjects. Published in the British Medical Journal February, the joint UniSA and University of Adelaide study found that virtual reality had reduced pain and depression in more than 50 percent of all participants.
In his interview with The Conversation AU, Prof Loetscher said the study involving 16 pallative care patients in a South Australian hospital.
Each participant, aged from 48 to 87 years, used Meta Quest 2 headsets to experience 20-minute sessions using the Wander app and YouTube VR platform.
He said in his discussion,
We found just 20 minutes of VR immersion could immediately reduce the participants’ subjective feelings of both physical pain and emotional pain (such as depression). At least half of the participants reported significant relief after a single session. After one session, two out of three participants reported relief.
Conversely, some of the subjects felt worse after experiencing VR due to cybersickness, headset heaviness on the face, and other symptoms.
A New Era of Empowerment
The news comes after UK charity Chrysalis deployed VR headsets to teach people with learning impediments to experience numerous virtual scenarios like visiting the theatre, art gallery, attending concerts, going shopping, and others.
At the time, Charity CEO Claire Doherty noted her charity could incorporate the headsets in normal activities to prepare users for real-life situations and build their practical life skills.
Clients could also receive the opportunity to “do things they might never get the chance for in terms of travel,” she added.
READ MORE: Wigan Council Adopts Meta Quest Headsets to Promote Healthy Living
A further study from the IRCCS Don Gnocci Foundation explored VR training for people with similar circumstances and found that there were significant gains in learner retention, cognitive functioning, and information processing, among others, among young people with specific learning disorders (SLDs).
24 children aged 7 to 11 engaged in the study at the Foundation’s Santa Maria Nascente CARE Lab in the six-week experiment. In the study’s conclusion, researchers noted huge increases in visual attention, flexibility, and planning compared to before the intervention, with skill retention remaining consistent after a six-month period.
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