The client: ADHD Australia is Australia’s leading national charity dedicated to supporting individuals affected by ADHD. The organisation focuses on raising awareness, advocating for change, funding research initiatives, and driving positive systemic change.

Funding: National Road Safety Action Grants Program

Origin & Inspiration

The idea for this project originated when one of the interviewees in our previous augmented reality road safety project expressed how excited she was about the way our gamified AR experiences engaged and entertained her children with ADHD while teaching them about road safety. She noted that her children usually struggled to stay focused or engaged with learning activities, but with these AR experiences, they were eager to try them multiple times and were learning something valuable while having fun. Following this, we conducted further research and discovered that the road safety educational needs of children with ADHD differ somewhat from those of children without ADHD. Previous studies have also highlighted the potential of using AR for educating children with ADHD. We shared this insight and idea with ADHD Australia, who supported the concept. We then collaborated on a grant proposal, which was successfully funded by the Australian Government.

Goals

- Co-design and develop gamified augmented reality learning experiences to address the key road safety educational needs of children with ADHD.

- Assist in marketing and promoting these experiences to engage and educate a broader audience.

- Provide data and insights to help the client and funders assess the impact of the programme.

Solution

We conducted a thorough literature review to identify the road safety needs of children with ADHD and are collaborating with ADHD Australia to co-design and develop four educational augmented reality colouring pages and six gamified augmented reality learning experiences. These will address general topics such as safe and unsafe places to cross, as well as specific needs and situations, including:

- Making decisions about crossing gaps (gap decisions)

- Timing decisions, such as determining the right moment to enter the road and allowing sufficient time to cross safely

- Managing impulsivity and road distractions

- Understanding expectations from other road users

- Developing interoceptive awareness

- Navigating daily transport routines

Outcome

Results will be provided upon project completion.