An immersive virtual reality room that helps children with autism overcome their phobias is now being offered on the NHS.

In 2014, scientists at Newcastle University found that virtual reality can help youngsters with autism spectrum disorder overcome their serious fears.

Now, the first NHS patients have been referred for treatment in what is known as the Newcastle Blue Room.

Two years ago, the Newcastle University team reported in the academic journal PLOS ONE how eight out of nine children treated in the Blue Room were able to tackle the situation they feared and some were found to have completely overcome their phobias, even a year later.

The treatment is now available on the NHS, funded by the Childrens Clinical Commissioning Group, and each child referred will receive four sessions at a specialised facility in Consett, County Durham.

Dr Jeremy Parr, clinical senior lecturer specialising in paediatric neurodisability at Newcastle Universitys Institute of Neuroscience, said: Situation-specific anxieties, fears and phobias can completely stop a child with autism taking part in normal family or school life and there are very few treatment options for them.

Currently the main treatment is cognitive behaviour therapy but that often doesnt work for a child with autism as it relies on their imagination.

People with autism can find imagining a scene difficult so by providing it physically in front of the childs eyes we can sit alongside them and help them learn how to manage their fears.

Our previous small scale study of this immersive treatment for children is incredibly promising and work is continuing on a much larger study.

To see children able to face a situation that they previously found so distressing, such as going into a shop after just four sessions in the treatment room is amazing. It makes a huge difference to their lives.

The Newcastle University team collaborated with Third Eye Technologies in their Immersive Blue Room to create personalised situations. Accompanied by a psychologist, the child was surrounded with audio visual images representing the real world in the 360-degree seamless screened room with no point of external reference.

This means they do not have to wear a headset or goggles which children with autism can find distressing.

They move around the scene using iPad controls, interacting and navigating through the scenario as they wish allowing them to fully control the environment.

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Scenarios tested already include getting on a busy bus, crossing a bridge, going shopping or talking to an avatar shop assistant.

Supported by a psychologist, they are given breathing and relaxation exercises in the controllable and safe virtual environment to help them to learn to cope with that situation.

They are observed by their parents via a video-link which enables them to watch the techniques used to help their child.

To examine the long-term effectiveness of the treatment, a larger-scale clinical study is being carried out with the results due 2017.

The treatment is being offered through the NHS England Commissioned Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders Service.

Its remit includes research to develop new treatments and interventions and evaluate their use in the NHS.

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See the Newcastle virtual reality room helping children with autism overcome their phobias - ChronicleLive