I thought that the VR session was great, he was gentle with encouraging the kids to try and had a good understanding of how to communicate with them. I was surprised with how many of the kids got involved, it was really good for the kids with high sensory needs, maybe we could pair it with something for them to ‘squish’ in one hand, because the VR is very stimulating I think something to move in their hand would help. I would definitely bring him back!

The VR session was incredibly rewarding for the participants and for myself as a group leader. A couple of the teens were non-verbal and I had been trying to perceive their interests and encourage involvement in activities for a considerable amount of time. Ali fitted them with the headsets whilst they were seated on beanbags and their faces lit up, along with the device. Their hands reached towards virtual creatures and scenery whilst they laughed and chatted to themselves. The participants would have sat there all day if they could. One girl, a regular at Autism West, was reluctant to give it a go. Towards the end of the session, she had built up the confidence and perhaps took to the experience more than anyone. She created a piece of 3D artwork which she excitedly showed off to everyone. The girl still talks about it and I would definitely love to see her develop these skills further. VR has the potential to facilitate a whole new avenue of communication and expression for Autistic people. The more social participants of the group would sit and swap headsets, excited to share their experience with friends. The boys, in particular, loved using their whole bodies to interact with the VR games.

The feel better VR session was an invaluable experience for our social group. The YES Marangaroo social group is a place for teenagers on the spectrum to meet and develop confidence in their abilities through social interactions. We target the activities based on the teenagers interest and the strongest interest among all kids in the group is gaming and technology, therefore the VR session was very well suited for our group. The kids were excited to try out the new technologies and to experiment with different games and VR headsets. It was astonishing to see how engage the group was with the VR games. Some kids discovered the ocean through VR, whereas others casted webs through a city as spider man. What stood out to me where two kids who are usually non-verbal and with the VR they were totally immersed ‘talking to sea animals’ and explaining to each other what they were experiencing. Overall, I think that VR is especially beneficial for individuals that are uncomfortable with social situations. Instead of having to act with ‘real’ people, social interactions can be practised in a ‘safe space’ with artificial characters. Wise Realities has done an amazing job with their ‘feel better VR sessions’ that are freely available to communities. There is a lot of potential in VR being used to increase mental health and I hope that Wise Realities will be successful in raising awareness around this topic.