Social CommunicationAcceptabilityAutism & Neurodivergent

Mixed-methods study of 31 autistic children (ages 6-16) using VR head-mounted displays in schools - the high-fidelity HTC Vive was preferred, HMDs were reported as enjoyable, comfortable, easy to use, and useful for relaxation + pre-visit familiarization + school learning

Newbutt N et al. · 2020 · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · Qualitative · n = 31 · Autistic children aged 6-16 in school settings · DOI
Evidence certainty: Moderate certainty
How this was rated

Mixed-methods design (quantitative + qualitative) with n=31 autistic children aged 6-16 - a strong age range for school-based work. Peer-reviewed in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking (Mary Ann Liebert, established peer-reviewed venue, the successor to CyberPsychology & Behavior). Author Newbutt (Bristol / Florida) is an established autism+VR researcher. Limitations: single-site recruitment may limit generalization; the study design centers autistic children's own views (a strength for understanding acceptability) but doesn't measure clinical outcomes; HMD preferences are time-bound (2020 hardware landscape pre-dates Meta Quest 2 era); sample of 31 is good for thematic saturation but modest for any subgroup analysis.

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A mixed-methods study placing 31 autistic children aged 6-16 at the center of a school-based investigation of VR head-mounted displays. Three research questions: which HMD do autistic children prefer, how do they experience HMDs physically and emotionally, and what would they want to use VR for in school? The high-end HTC Vive was preferred over lower-fidelity HMDs. Children reported VR as enjoyable, physically and visually comfortable, easy to use, exciting, and reusable. Identified uses: relaxation / feeling calm, virtual pre-visit to anxiety-inducing locations before real-world visit, learning opportunities in school.

Clinical bottom line

Critical applied research showing that autistic children aged 6-16 can use - and want to use - high-fidelity VR head-mounted displays in school settings. The HTC Vive (research-grade) was preferred over consumer HMDs in this sample, suggesting visual quality and tracking fidelity matter for autistic users. Three identified use cases - relaxation, pre-visit familiarization, learning opportunities - map directly to SLP and special-education practice with autistic students. For SLPs working in schools with autistic children, this is the foundational acceptability evidence for in-school VR work. Note: 2020 study, pre-Meta-Quest-2 era; the HMD preferences may have shifted with newer consumer hardware.

Key findings

  • Mixed-methods study with 31 autistic children aged 6-16 (specific gender, communication-ability, and ASD-severity distributions reported in published article)
  • Three research questions addressed: (1) which type of VR HMD is preferred by autistic children given sensory concerns; (2) how do autistic children report the physical experience, enjoyment, and potential of VR HMDs in classrooms; (3) what would autistic children want to use VR in schools for
  • HARDWARE PREFERENCE: COSTLY AND TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED HMDs WERE PREFERRED - specifically the HTC Vive (research-grade) over lower-fidelity / cheaper HMDs. Visual quality and tracking fidelity matter for autistic users at this developmental age range
  • EXPERIENCE: HMDs reported as ENJOYABLE, PHYSICALLY AND VISUALLY COMFORTABLE, EASY TO USE, EXCITING, and children wanted to use them AGAIN - strong acceptability signal across multiple dimensions
  • IDENTIFIED USES BY AUTISTIC CHILDREN THEMSELVES: (a) relaxing / feeling calm, (b) virtually exploring places before visiting them in the real world (pre-visit familiarization for anxiety-inducing destinations like dentists, airports, new schools), (c) learning opportunities in school settings
  • Methodologically important: this study places autistic children at the center of the research (their preferences, their experience, their proposed uses) rather than treating them as passive recipients of researcher-designed interventions
  • Published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking (Mary Ann Liebert peer-reviewed journal, successor to CyberPsychology & Behavior)

Background

By 2020, the autism + VR research literature was extensive (Parsons & Cobb 2011, Bekele 2014, Smith 2014, Kandalaft 2013, Didehbani 2016, Ip 2018, Bailey 2022) but most studies had been clinician- or researcher-centered - VR was designed and delivered TO autistic children with assumed acceptance. Three under-researched questions remained:

  1. Which type of VR HMD do autistic children themselves PREFER (given that sensory concerns might shape hardware tolerability)?
  2. How do autistic children report their PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE, enjoyment, and potential of VR HMDs in classrooms?
  3. What would autistic children themselves WANT TO USE VR for in schools?

Newbutt et al. set out to place autistic children at the center of this investigation.

What the researchers did

Thirty-one autistic children aged 6-16 participated in a mixed-methods study in school-based settings. Each child used multiple VR head-mounted displays in their classroom environment, with structured quantitative measures (preferences, enjoyment, comfort, ease of use) and qualitative interviews capturing their experiences and identified use cases.

What they found

Why this matters

For SLPs and special-education clinicians working with autistic students in schools, this study provides the foundational autistic-child-centered acceptability evidence. The three identified use cases map directly onto SLP scenario design:

For procurement teams considering school-based VR investment, this paper supplies the published evidence that the hardware investment is welcomed by the user population.

Limitations

Implications for practice

For SLPs and special-education clinicians working in schools with autistic students, this study supplies the foundational acceptability evidence for in-school VR work with this age range (6-16). The three identified use cases - relaxation, pre-visit familiarization, learning opportunities - map directly onto SLP scenario design: a Therapy withVR-style clinician-controlled system could deliver pre-visit familiarization for anxiety-inducing destinations (dental visits, airports, new classrooms), structured relaxation environments, and curriculum-linked social-communication learning. The HMD-preference finding (HTC Vive preferred over cheaper alternatives) is time-bound to 2020 hardware - contemporary Meta Quest 2/3 systems address the visual-fidelity issue with consumer pricing, so the preference today would likely favor current consumer HMDs. For procurement teams considering school-based VR investment, this study is the published autistic-child-centered evidence that the hardware investment is welcomed by the user population.

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Cite this study

If you reference this study in your work, the canonical citation formats are:

APA 7th
Newbutt, N., Bradley, R., & Conley, I. (2020). Using Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays in Schools with Autistic Children: Views, Experiences, and Future Directions. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0206.
AMA 11th
Newbutt N, Bradley R, Conley I. Using Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays in Schools with Autistic Children: Views, Experiences, and Future Directions. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 2020. doi:10.1089/cyber.2019.0206.
BibTeX
@article{newbutt2020,
  author = {Newbutt, N. and Bradley, R. and Conley, I.},
  title = {Using Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays in Schools with Autistic Children: Views, Experiences, and Future Directions},
  journal = {Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking},
  year = {2020},
  doi = {10.1089/cyber.2019.0206},
  url = {https://withvr.app/evidence/studies/newbutt-2020}
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Newbutt, N.
AU  - Bradley, R.
AU  - Conley, I.
TI  - Using Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays in Schools with Autistic Children: Views, Experiences, and Future Directions
JO  - Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
PY  - 2020
DO  - 10.1089/cyber.2019.0206
UR  - https://withvr.app/evidence/studies/newbutt-2020
ER  -

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Funding & independence

Affiliations: Newbutt at University of the West of England, Bristol / University of Florida (subsequent positions); Bradley and Conley at affiliated UK / US institutions. Specific funding sources not extracted in detail from the abstract excerpt available. Peer-reviewed in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking (Mary Ann Liebert). No withVR BV involvement in funding, study design, or authorship. Summary prepared independently by withVR using the published peer-reviewed paper. The VR HMDs used (HTC Vive and lower-fidelity alternatives) are NOT Therapy withVR or Research withVR - this is a hardware-preference and acceptability study, not a clinical-product evaluation.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-17 Next review due: 2027-05-17 Reviewed by: Gareth Walkom