LSU-Led Study Uses VR To Help Students With ADHD Stay Focused
- LSU Associate Professor David Shepherd secured $675K from NIMH to expand ADHD research using virtual reality and noise-canceling headphones.
- Early studies show that students with ADHD completed more work and stayed on task in distraction-free VR environments.
A research project at Louisiana State University is exploring how virtual reality could improve focus in students with ADHD. Associate Professor David Shepherd received $675,000 in funding from the National Institute of Mental Health as part of a larger $1.8 million collaboration with Rutgers University Professor Joshua Langberg. Shepherd and Langberg are using immersive technology to help reduce distractions and improve focus while studying.
Shepherd’s team created a VR-based system that blocks out external noise and other distractions, especially useful in a dorm room setting. Students work in a simulated bedroom with access to their laptop and keyboard using VR headsets and noise-canceling headphones. The system includes built-in feedback, such as an on-screen stoplight that turns red if users veer off task. In initial trials with 25 students completing 10 sessions each, participants reported improved focus and task completion.
Source: YouTube / LSU
The next phase of the study will expand to 45 participants, growing to about 200 if current results hold. Shepherd plans to streamline the system so it runs entirely on a VR headset, eliminating the need for a connected laptop and potentially expanding access for students who already own one. “Our goal is to impact thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of the next generation of students,” he said on the LSU blog.
🌀 Tom’s Take:
Ironically, VR might be the tech that helps students escape the noise of modern tech. and actually focus.
