2024 Children's of Alabama/UAB Annual Report

Extended reality provides an enjoyable and accessible form of aerobic

exercise to children, helping those with mobility disabilities get the amount of exercise they need.

“Extended reality games can provide a high level of immersiveness, and that is something the kids really enjoy,” Lai said. “This leads to high engagement and retention. Because they enjoy these games, they are more likely to stick to a therapy prescription that is built into extended reality.”

“ “Because they enjoy these games, they are more likely to stick to a therapy prescription that is built into extended reality.”

Mental Benefits Extended reality helps improve the mental health of children with disabilities as it helps combat social isolation, anxiety and depression.

“In addition to getting the children to exercise, we have found these games provide children with a sense of accomplishment as they are able to engage in games and activities they were unable to do up until this point,” Wright said. “This sense of accomplishment plays a role in improving the child’s mental health, specifically when it comes to coping with anxiety and depression.” Wright says extended reality allows children to pull themselves away from their reality, distract them from any pain they may be feeling, or virtually escape from their clinic or hospital rooms. This immersion provides them with an engaging activity that, combined with mindfulness and peer-socialization strategies, helps improve their mental health. “With extended reality, these kids just get to be kids and have fun and get away from all the noise in the world,” Wright said. “Everyone in these extended reality games has full mobility, and they are treated the same way. They are not judged based on their disability. They are just a kid hanging out with other kids.” – Byron Lai, Ph.D.

2024 Academic Annual Report

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