A prototype for the treatment of children with selective mutism using interactive 360° VR

“Selective mutism” is an anxiety disorder in which a child is unable to speak in certain situations. In collaboration with psychologists and therapists from Amsterdam University Medical Center (AUMC), the Academic Center for Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (“Levvel”) and Erasmus Medical Center, a project was carried out to design and implement a prototype for a VR exposure therapy application as an addition to the regular treatment of young children with selective mutism. An evaluation of the prototype among therapists shows the prototype has potential but that more work must be done before the application can be used autonomously by actual patients.