PFI-TT: Creation of an augmented-reality platform for treatment of phobias/anxiety in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

这个PFI项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是在未来为普通人群和自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患者提供基于技术的特殊恐惧症（SP）治疗。近9%的美国人符合SP的标准，很少有人寻求治疗。在未来，使用增强现实技术（AR）可以减少寻求治疗的障碍，并提高保健提供者有效和高效地提供循证治疗的能力。为SP提供“最低限度的适当治疗”的费用从每位患者600美元到900美元不等，对付款人、患者和医疗服务提供者来说可能要高得多。幸运的是，增强现实将允许在虚拟环境中提供治疗的优势，成本更低，医疗保健提供者的选择更灵活。拟议的项目是一个增强现实平台，允许自闭症患者以及普通人群克服SP特征的衰弱恐惧。尽管有高效的治疗方法，但大多数经历SP特征的衰弱恐惧的人永远不会接受治疗，尤其是那些患有自闭症的人。通过这笔拨款创建的AR平台将在未来降低传统暴露疗法的高排异率，并鼓励那些以前不会这样做的人寻求治疗。自适应学习和计算机视觉技术将用于增强增强现实平台的有效性和可用性。该项目将涉及开发一个原型平台，允许个人通过AR设备观察计算机生成的恐惧刺激。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this PFI project will be in enabling future technology-based therapies for Specific Phobia (SP) in both the general population and individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Nearly 9% of US population meets criteria for SP and very few seek treatment. Use of augmented reality (AR) could, in the future, reduce barriers to seeking treatment and also improve the health provider's ability to effectively and efficiently deliver evidence-based therapy. Costs of delivering 'minimally adequate treatment' for SP can range from $600-$900 per patient and can be much higher for payers, patients, and health providers. Fortunately, augmented reality would allow the advantages of providing therapy in a virtual environment with lower costs and greater flexibility of options for the healthcare provider.The proposed project is an AR platform that allows individuals with ASD as well as those within the general population to overcome debilitating fears characteristic of SP. Despite the availability of highly-effective treatments, the majority of individuals experiencing debilitating fears characterizing SP will never receive treatment, particularly those with ASD. The AR platform created through this grant will, in the future, reduce the high rejection rate of traditional exposure therapy as well as encourage individuals to seek treatment who would not have done so before. Adaptive learning and computer vision technologies will be used to enhance the efficacy and usability of the AR platform. The project will involve development of a prototype platform allowing individuals to observe a computer generated phobic stimuli through an AR device.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.