"Improved Social Skills Through Games"...Treatment Effect Confirmed in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Professor Jung Yousook's Team at Samsung Seoul Hospital
Announces Results of Concurrent Mobile Game Therapy

Digital therapeutics based on mobile games have been shown to help improve social skills in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or social communication disorder (SCD).

A joint research team led by Professor Jung Yousook of the Department of Psychiatry at Samsung Seoul Hospital, Professor Yoo Jaehyun of the Department of Psychiatry at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, and Professor Choi Taeyoung of the Department of Psychiatry at Daegu Catholic University Medical Center announced in the latest issue of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology's journal (Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences) that a social skills training program developed as a mobile game has been found to improve social skills in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Previously, treatment for autism spectrum disorder has included medication, psychotherapy, and social skills training in clinical settings such as hospitals.

The research team recruited 38 adolescents aged 10 to 18 who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or social communication disorder between August and November 2023 at Samsung Seoul Hospital, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. All participants were able to follow the training program installed on a smartphone, either on their own or with the help of a guardian, and were classified as having mild autism spectrum disorder according to severity criteria.

The mobile game-based training program utilized 'NDTx-01,' developed by NewDive Co., Ltd. to improve social communication and interaction in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder or social communication disorder. NDTx-01 was designated as an innovative medical device by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in January of this year.

NDTx-01 presents a variety of situations commonly encountered at school and is designed so that users solve problems by completing missions.

The research team randomly divided the participants into a conventional treatment group (19 participants) and a concurrent mobile game treatment group (19 participants), then observed how their social adaptation abilities?including social communication skills and interaction abilities?changed after six weeks, depending on the treatment method.

When evaluated based on the Adaptive Behavior Scale, the concurrent treatment with mobile games showed significant improvement in daily life and other aspects for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and social communication disorder. Samsung Seoul Hospital

As a result, in the composite adaptive behavior assessment, which covers communication, daily living skills, socialization, and motor skills, the concurrent mobile game treatment group improved by 5.89 points, while the conventional treatment group improved by only 1.21 points. In the socialization category, the concurrent mobile game treatment group increased by 6.05 points, whereas the conventional treatment group rose by just 0.42 points. Notably, when evaluating daily living skills, the conventional treatment group actually scored 0.74 points lower than at the start of treatment, while the concurrent mobile game treatment group increased by 4.16 points, showing a clear contrast.

In addition, the degree of repetitive behaviors or restricted interests?a key feature of autism spectrum disorder?decreased by 9.11 points in the concurrent mobile game treatment group compared to before treatment, while the reduction in the conventional treatment group was only 2.89 points, indicating a significant difference.

Professor Jung Yousook, who led the study, explained, "Treatment using smartphones can be conducted at home under the guidance of medical professionals, making it highly accessible. The inherent interest in the game itself also increases immersion, which appears to enhance the therapeutic effect. This approach will be even more useful in situations where ongoing face-to-face therapy is difficult."

This study was supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Korea Health Industry Development Institute's healthcare technology R&D project and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation.