Participation in everyday activities is an important part of wellbeing, independence, and quality of life. However, many autistic individuals experience barriers that can make participation in school, work, healthcare, social activities, and community settings more challenging.
These barriers may include sensory sensitivities, difficulties with uncertainty, social communication differences, previous experiences of overwhelm, and anxiety associated with unfamiliar situations.
Many parents feel saddened seeing their children isolated in their rooms or avoiding trying new things that broaden their world views.
Traditional evidence-based interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), exposure-based approaches, environmental supports, and skills training remain important supports for autistic individuals. More recently, researchers have begun exploring how Virtual Reality (VR) can
complement these interventions by providing opportunities to practise real-world skills in safe and controlled environments (Mittal et al., 2024).
What is Virtual Reality Therapy?
Virtual Reality (VR) uses immersive technology to create realistic, interactive environments that individuals can explore and engage with while being supported by a clinician.
Depending on the individual’s goals, VR can simulate experiences such as:
- Engaging in conversation
- Visiting a shopping centre
- Attending school or university
- Navigating social situations
- Preparing for healthcare appointments
- Practising everyday living skills
By recreating real-world experiences in a controlled setting, VR may help bridge the gap between therapy and everyday participation. Additionally, it’s a form of exposure therapy which can reduce situational anxiety.
How Can Virtual Reality Support Participation?
One of the unique advantages of VR is the ability to create predictable and adjustable environments.
Unlike real-world settings, VR experiences can be modified to suit the individual’s needs. Factors such as noise levels, visual stimulation, social complexity, and environmental demands can be adjusted,
allowing skills to be practised gradually and repeatedly (Failla et al., 2024).
Furthermore, VR may also provide access to experiences that would otherwise be difficult, costly, unsafe, or impractical to recreate consistently in real life. For example, exposure therapy often relies on repetition of behaviour experiments that may not be feasible in situations such as sitting in the waiting room at the medical centre or sitting in a restaurant speaking to the waiter.
What Does the Research Show?
While the evidence base continues to develop, current research suggests that VR may support several areas of functioning that are important for participation.
Research has found that VR interventions:
- Improve social skills and social engagement in autistic children and adolescents (Yang et al., 2025).
- Support the development of communication skills and social understanding (Mittal et al., 2024).
- Enhance opportunities to practise daily living and community participation skills in realistic environments (Failla et al., 2024).
- Increase engagement and motivation during therapeutic activities, particularly for individuals who enjoy technology-based learning (Yang et al., 2025).
- Support the development of confidence and independence when approaching real-world situations (Calderone et al., 2024).
- Provide safe opportunities to rehearse challenging or unfamiliar environments before encountering them in everyday life (Failla et al., 2024).
A 2024 meta-analysis examining VR interventions for autistic individuals concluded that VR shows promise for improving cognitive, social, emotional, and adaptive functioning outcomes, while also providing engaging opportunities for learning and skill development (Mittal et al., 2024). It’s
important to note that VR may not be suitable for everybody. For example, Mittal et al’s (2024) research also found that a small percentage of individuals experienced dizziness, eye fatigue, and sensory overload. Therefore, screening for VR suitability is recommended and is part of our onboarding procedure here at XRHealth.
Further research is ongoing to better understand which individuals benefit most and how VR can be most effectively integrated into clinical practice and customised to the individual.
Looking Ahead
Virtual Reality is becoming an increasingly promising tool for supporting autistic individuals to build confidence, practise important life skills, and participate more fully in everyday activities. This can be especially useful in achieving functional capacity related to NDIS goals.
While VR is not intended to replace established evidence-based psychological interventions, it can complement existing interventions by providing immersive, engaging, and accessible opportunities for learning and practice.
For autistic individuals who experience barriers to participation, VR may offer another pathway towards greater independence, confidence, and community engagement.
