Floreo Announces New Research Partnership to Test Whether Virtual Reality Can Help People on the Autism Spectrum to Develop Critical Social Skills
WASHINGTON (PRWEB) May 04, 2017 -- Floreo Inc., an early stage tech startup developing virtual reality-driven autism therapy, today announced a new research partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Autism Research (CAR), one of the country’s leading autism research organizations. Through this partnership, Floreo and CAR will launch several pilot studies to test whether immersive virtual reality can improve social and community safety skills in teens and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Floreo’s virtual reality application provides immersive and engaging therapy intended to help individuals with ASD build real world skills. If proven effective, the application would be an affordable supplement to traditional therapy that is fun and engaging for the user, while allowing a supervising adult to monitor and guide the activities.
“This new partnership with CAR is essential for Floreo to establish efficacy of virtual reality-driven therapy to develop real world skills,” says Vijay Ravindran, Chief Executive Officer of Floreo. “Prioritizing the development of these skills is vital if we as a society want to increase the number of individuals with ASD who are able to live independently, safely and be gainfully employed. We are excited to partner with a world renowned top tier research institution such as CAR to find out if virtual reality can help these individuals develop the social skills needed.”
“There is a critical need to identify and develop effective yet cost-efficient technology-based interventions and supports for individuals with autism. Floreo’s immersive virtual reality platform is unique in that it allows a parent or therapist to directly observe the learner’s experience, and to provide interactive guidance and feedback in real time,” said Joseph McCleery, PhD, the scientist leading the research at CAR. “We see significant potential for this intervention to be developed and applied in ways that have meaningful, positive impacts on real-world social, adaptive, and other important skills for individuals with ASD."
The pilots will launch later this summer.
About Floreo Inc
Floreo is an early stage startup founded by Vijay Ravindran and Vibha Sazawal. Its application, which is currently in a pilot phase with various clinical-facing institutions, delivers safe, immersive, fun and affordable autism therapy through the power of virtual reality. The company is based in Washington DC. Find out more at http://www.floreotech.com
About the Center for Autism Research (CAR) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
CAR is a collaborative effort between Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) with a three-part mission to discover the causes of autism in order to develop better treatments, support families affected by ASD, and provide world-class training for the next generation of master clinicians and scientists. Find out more at http://www.centerforautismresearch.org
Vijay Ravindran, Floreo Inc, http://floreotech.com/, +1 240-235-1846, [email protected]
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