How Digital Games Can Help Kids with Sensory Problems

The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and Akili Interactive Labs are collaborating on a digital platform called Project: EVO. The goal? To develop the right kind of video game that may help improve attention skills in some children with sensory disorders.

According to the study, an estimated one in 20 kids have sensory processing problems, which may currently be treated with occupational therapy and prescription medication to help them become more comfortable with input that distracts or upsets them.

While the study’s sample size was small, the results are opening doors for kids who have difficulties processing what they see and hear.

Using Video Games as Therapy for Children with Cognitive Impairments

Researchers are investigating EVO as a therapy for children with cognitive impairments, including ADHD and sensory processing dysfunction.

Originally discovered in the lab of Adam Gazzaley, MD, Ph.D., of UCSF, the core technology is based on patent-pending neuroscience designed to strengthen the brain’s ability to process and prioritize thoughts and external stimuli.

The study included 38 participants ranging from 8 to 11 years old who have a condition called sensory processing dysfunction that can make them unusually sensitive to loud noises or bright lights. The study also included a control group of 25 kids who are typically developing.

The children were instructed to use the EVO platform, which is designed with a high-level interface and engaging visual and auditory feedback. Players help a character in the game navigate through winding paths, avoiding walls and obstacles.

In short, the study was designed to build cognitive control, which includes the ability to sustain attention in the face of distraction.

Researchers asked the children included in the study to play EVO for 25 minutes, five days a week for four weeks.

After four weeks, researchers found a significant improvement in attention skills among a subset of 20 kids with sensory issues who also had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Parents of seven of the kids with both sensory issues and ADHD reported enough improvement in their children to no longer meet the clinical definition for ADHD.

Can Digital Games Replace the Need for ADHD Prescription Medication?

While the study’s sample group was small, researchers say there is hope that these types of digital games can serve as an additional tool for physicians and parents to improve their children’s cognitive skills.

One researcher described the study best when saying, “The idea is for drugs to be temporary measures that together with therapy can help children learn to cope with their conditions and then as they improve, they can be weaned off the drugs.”