Social AR: design and evaluation of a social serious game for children with ADHD based on embodied cognition and AR

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) significantly affects children's social functioning, yet existing research predominantly addresses attention and impulsivity rather than social development. Embodied cognition facilitates children's social skill acquisition during developmental stages, while augmented reality (AR) technology offers novel interactive modalities for social learning through virtual-real environment integration. Nevertheless, few studies have combined embodied cognition with AR to enhance social cognition in children with ADHD. This study developed SocialAR, a serious social game integrating software programs with physical toys. The intervention incorporates embodied cognition elements including voice interaction, facial imitation, and gesture-based learning, utilizing AR to create an immersive social learning experience for children with ADHD. The research comprised three phases: first, a questionnaire survey of parents of Chinese children with ADHD to identify social difficulties; second, indepth interviews with 12 parents and 8 ADHD specialists to obtain detailed social problem profiles; and third, prototype development based on these findings, subsequently evaluated by 15 design experts and 6 ADHD specialists. Results indicated substantial social challenges among Chinese children with ADHD and a paucity of effective social interventions. Expert evaluations affirmed the prototype's innovation and usability. Future research will involve experimental validation with children with ADHD to further test and optimize the intervention.