Author(s) :

David Shif.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is often associated with ongoing attention deficits, lack of inhibitory control, dysfunction in executive functioning, and poor classroom behavior. These are all necessary for adaptive functioning in everyday life, but it is quite challenging to improve them through traditional methods. Virtual reality (VR) is a newer option as it can produce realistic, repeatable tasks in an engaging, interactive format that may be a neurodivergent individual’s preferred way of working. This narrative review aims to determine whether immersive or semi-immersive VR interventions can lead to substantial improvements in core cognitive and behavioral symptoms of children and adolescents with ASD. For this narrative review, evidence was synthesized from 12 peer-reviewed studies examining VR interventions in ASD populations. The findings indicate that VR-based interventions are consistently effective in improving attention and inhibitory control, with small to moderate short-term gains being reported in several studies. On the other hand, the findings on executive functioning and working memory are mixed, and the results for classroom behavior and daily functioning are promising within VR environments. Still, there is limited evidence of reliable transfer to real-world settings. The common limitations across the research are small sample sizes, short intervention durations, and inconsistent outcome reporting. Nevertheless, VR seems to be a safe and engaging complementary tool that can facilitate cognitive development in ASD when it is supervised and individualized.