A Therapeutic Role-Playing VR Game for Children with Intellectual Disabilities

TL;DR

This study introduces Space Exodus, a VR role-playing game designed for children with intellectual disabilities, demonstrating significant improvements in concentration and engagement through a six-week intervention.

Contribution

The paper presents the design, development, and evaluation of a novel VR therapeutic game tailored for children with ID, with positive preliminary results.

Findings

Significant improvement in concentration scores (p < 0.01)

Enhanced user confidence and participation observed

VR assistant increased engagement

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) offers promising avenues for innovative therapeutic interventions in populations with intellectual disabilities (ID). This paper presents the design, development, and evaluation of Space Exodus, a novel VR-based role-playing game specifically tailored for children with ID. By integrating immersive gameplay with therapeutic task design, Space Exodus aims to enhance concentration, cognitive processing, and fine motor skills through structured hand-eye coordination exercises. A six-week pre-test/post-test study was conducted with 16 children in Ecuador, using standardized assessments, the Toulouse-Pieron Cancellation Test, and the Moss Attention Rating Scale complemented by detailed observational metrics. Quantitative results indicate statistically significant improvements in concentration scores, with test scores increasing from 65.2 to 80.3 and 55.4 to 68.7, respectively (p < 0.01). Qualitative observations revealed reduced task attempts, enhanced user confidence, and increased active participation. The inclusion of a VR assistant provided consistent guidance that further boosted engagement. These findings demonstrate the potential of immersive, game-based learning environments as practical therapeutic tools, laying a robust foundation for developing inclusive and adaptive rehabilitation strategies for children with ID.