Virtual Reality Technology for Psychological/Neuropsychological/Motor Assessment and Rehabilitation: Applications and Issues

Summary form only for tutorial. After an early period of inflated expectations and limited delivery, Virtual Reality (VR) technology has emerged as a viable tool for cognitive/behavioral mental health and rehabilitation applications. VR allows for the systematic presentation of stimuli that target human behavioral and cognitive processes relevant for assessment and intervention purposes. The capacity of VE technology to create dynamic interactive three-dimensional (3D) stimulus environments, within which all behavioral responding can be recorded and measured, offers clinical assessment and intervention options that are not available using traditional methods. These applications have shown promise for addressing: fear and anxiety with phobic and PTSD clients, distracting patients during painful and anxiety-provoking medical and dental procedures, treating eating disorders and obesity, navigation and spatial training in children with motor impairments, functional skills in persons with developmental disabilities and autism, and in the assessment (and in some cases, rehabilitation) of memory, attention, spatial skills, and executive cognitive functions in populations with CNS dysfunction. Functional VE training scenarios have also been designed to test and teach instrumental activities of daily living such as street-crossing, automobile driving, meal preparation, supermarket shopping, use of public transportation, and wheelchair navigation. The therapeutic targets chosen thus far for these clinical applications reflect an informed appreciation for the unique assets that are available using virtual technology and these initiatives have formed a foundation of work that provides support for the value of further development of VR Mental Health/ Rehabilitation applications.