An Overview of Virtual Reality Interventions for Two Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Intellectual Disabilities and Autism

In this overview of the two neurodevelopmental disorders, intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders we systematically searched the literature for scientific publications of group-based designs that tested various interventions through the use of Virtual Reality technology. After screening of a total of n = 366 publications, n = 13 studies (intellectual disabilities n = 7, autism spectrum disorders n = 6) were included in the final analyses. We present descriptive data in terms of type of intervention content for the various studies as well as information regarding research design, number of participants enrolled in the studies, age cohorts, and outcome measures. We discuss the findings as a whole but also by comparing the studies that are published within each of the two neurodevelopmental disorder groups. Finally we discuss some challenges and opportunities for future research.