Immersive virtual reality is more effective than non-immersive devices for developing real-world skills in people with intellectual disability.
Immersive VR teaches daily living skills to adults with ID far better than flat-screen lessons, and the gain lasts a week.
01Research in Context
What this study did
McQuaid et al. (2024) compared two ways to teach waste-sorting to adults with intellectual disability.
One group trained inside a head-mounted immersive VR kitchen. The other group watched the same lesson on a flat computer screen.
After training, staff scored how well each adult sorted real trash at home and returned one week later to check again.
What they found
The immersive VR group made large, lasting gains. Their real-life trash sorting stayed strong after a week.
The flat-screen group improved only a little and most skills faded by follow-up.
How this fits with other research
Cameron et al. (1996) first said VR could help people with learning disabilities, but had no data. McQuaid et al. (2024) now give clear evidence that immersive beats flat media for daily living skills.
Fallea et al. (2025) also found VR tops traditional teaching, but their kids with autism learned tooth-brushing. The new study shows the same advantage holds for adults with ID and waste management.
Miller et al. (2020) used VR airport rehearsal with autistic preschoolers. McQuaid et al. (2024) widen the picture: immersive VR works for adults with ID too, and the benefit lasts at least a week.
Why it matters
If you teach life skills to adults with ID, swap flat videos for immersive VR. One short VR session can lock in real-world performance for days. Ask your school or agency for a headset before the next cooking, cleaning, or recycling lesson.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disability (ID) demonstrate persistent challenges around developing life skills. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) is gaining interest as a tool for training life skills as it enables individuals to engage in hands-on learning in a safe, controlled and repeatable environment. However, there are concerns about the potential drawbacks of IVR, such as cybersickness and practical challenges with using the equipment, which may hinder its widespread adoption in educational settings. The current study aimed to compare the effectiveness of training in IVR and a non-immersive virtual environment for improving real-world skills in people with ID. METHODS: In the present study, 36 adults (16 female, 20 male) with ID were recruited from a disability organisation. Participants completed a real-world assessment of waste management skills before and after training in either the IVR or non-immersive group. RESULTS: Consistent with our hypotheses, the IVR group scored significantly higher in the real-world assessment after virtual training (d = 1), and at the 1-week follow-up (d = 1.12), compared with the non-immersive group. Further analyses showed that the IVR group, but not the non-immersive group, significantly improved performance in the real-world assessment across timepoints. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that IVR was more effective for improving and retaining real-world waste management skills. This study supports IVR as a viable tool for professionals and caregivers to develop skills for independent living among people with ID.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2024 · doi:10.1111/jir.13177