Mobile Game-Based Digital Therapy Found to Improve Social Skills in Adolescents with ASD and SCD

Research Team Led by Professor Yu-suk Jung of Samsung Seoul Hospital Publishes Treatment Results for 38 Adolescents Using NDTx-01Improvements in Social Adaptation and Daily Living Skills... Professor Yu-suk Jung: "A Contribution to Helping Them Grow as Members of Society"

[Medical Tribune · Ilgan Bosa = Reporter Hyun-gi Kim] Mobile game-based digital therapy has been shown to help improve social skills in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Social Communication Disorder (SCD).

A joint research team comprising Professor Yu-suk Jung of the Department of Psychiatry at Samsung Seoul Hospital, Professor Jae-hyun Yoo of the Department of Psychiatry at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, and Professor Tae-young Choi of the Department of Psychiatry at Daegu Catholic University Medical Center recently published these findings through a social skills training program developed as a mobile game.

The research team recruited 38 adolescents aged 10 to 18 diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Social Communication Disorder at Samsung Seoul Hospital, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital between August and November 2023. All participants were able to follow the training program installed on a smartphone either independently or with the assistance of a caregiver, and were classified as mild on the autism spectrum disorder severity scale. The mobile game-based training program utilized NDTx-01, developed by Neudive to improve social communication and interaction in children and adolescents with ASD or SCD.

NDTx-01, which was designated as an Innovative Medical Device by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in January of this year, is designed to present various situations commonly encountered at school and to have users complete missions and solve problems.

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

The results showed greater improvements in social adaptation, daily living skills, and overall social skills in the mobile game combined treatment group.

According to the research team, in the Adaptive Behavior Composite assessment — which encompasses communication, daily living skills, socialization, and motor skills — the mobile game combined treatment group showed an increase of 5.89 points, while the conventional treatment group improved by only 1.21 points. In the socialization domain specifically, the mobile game combined treatment group rose by 6.05 points, compared to just 0.42 points in the conventional treatment group.

Notably, when assessing daily living skills, the conventional treatment group actually scored 0.74 points lower than at the start of treatment, while the mobile game combined treatment group increased by 4.16 points — a striking contrast.

In addition, repetitive behaviors and restricted interests — key characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder — decreased by 9.11 points in the mobile game combined treatment group compared to before treatment, a significantly larger reduction than the 2.89-point decrease observed in the conventional treatment group.

Professor Yu-suk Jung stated: "Smartphone-based therapy can be conducted at home under the guidance of medical staff, making it highly accessible, and the increased engagement driven by interest in the game itself appears to have contributed to enhanced therapeutic effects. It can be especially useful in situations where continuous in-person treatment is difficult. We will continue to devote ourselves to research that helps children with Autism Spectrum Disorder live as full members of society."

This research was conducted with support from the Health and Medical Technology Research and Development Project of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation.

Source: Medical Tribune (https://www.bosa.co.kr)