We have had some exciting new developments as we come to the end of the summer: a new partnership to develop ADHD content, the release of a new Snowfall sensory space, the publication of more of our research, and new school district and clinic customers. Read more about what we’ve been up to in this month’s newsletter.
ADHD Content is Coming Up
We recently announced that Floreo has entered into a collaborative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under the CRADA, Floreo and NHGRI will jointly develop and pilot immersive virtual reality (VR) modules focused on improving cognitive deficits frequently implicated in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Phillip Shaw, Ph.D., from NHGRI will be the lead investigator along with Floreo’s Medical Director, Sinan Turnicioglu, MD. Dr. Shaw focuses on genomic and neural features underlying ADHD in children and adults.
“The new partnership with NHGRI is an exciting opportunity for Floreo to expand our virtual reality-driven platform to address specific skill development for ADHD,” says Vijay Ravindran, Chief Executive Officer of Floreo. “ADHD is a common co-occurring condition with ASD and is a natural extension for our cognitive training modules.”
“Many children who have ADHD face cognitive challenges. The goal of this collaboration will be to develop an effective, safe and engaging virtual reality intervention that can help children overcome some of these challenges,” says Dr. Shaw.
New Content: Check Out Our Latest Lesson
New Sensory Space: Snowfall
Who it is for: Learners of all ages
What’s new: As part of our Emotional Regulation modules, our sensory spaces are designed to provide a “mobile sensory room” experience. Some Learners might need a calming space where they can decompress or reduce some of their energy level while other Learners might need a space which will help them become more alert when feeling “low energy.” These spaces “transport” the Learner to a space that supports this type of regulation. The newest in the Emotional Regulation series is Snowfall. It provides the Learner a relaxing spot to simply enjoy a peaceful snowfall. Chill out in the snow during the last hot days of the summer!
Consider pairing it with: any number of snowfall meditations that can be found online, or consider using it as a reward for participating in one of the Building Social Connections or Teaching Stories lessons. It could also be used as a descriptive language development exercise.
If you have Floreo rental equipment, please be sure to turn on your devices, make sure they are charged and connected to WiFi so we can push the update to you. If you have your own devices, make sure to visit the iOS app store with both of your devices to ensure you have the latest update!
We always love to hear from you! Let us know what you think of our new lessons by emailing us at info@floreotech.com.
New Publication: Floreo Published in Autism Research
Evidence-based content has been and continues to be a hallmark of Floreo’s mission. We are proud to announce that our most recent publication “Safety and feasibility of an immersive virtual reality intervention program for teaching police interaction skills to adolescents and adults with autism” was accepted by Autism Research. You can read it here.