# Immersive Virtual Reality as a Tool to Improve Police Safety in Adolescents and Adults with ASD

> **NIH NIH R42** · FLOREO, INC. · 2020 · $327,942

## Abstract

Floreo Technology proposes to develop the Police Safety Module (PSM), an innovative, immersive mobile
virtual reality (VR) application designed to train police safety in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD). ASD has been increasing in prevalence over recent years. While much attention has been
paid to the causes and early diagnosis of ASD, there remains a clear need for effective interventions for the
core symptoms of autism. ASD is a lifelong disorder, and adolescents and adults with ASD experience
significant challenges in functional living skills. Safe community engagement, such as interaction with law
enforcement officers, represents an area of concern for adolescents and young adults with ASD continuing to
struggle with social communication skills. Interventions commonly used for older individuals with ASD, such as
Social StoriesTM and video modeling, have not been studied specifically for efficacy in teaching police safety
skills. Recent advances in VR technology have created an opportunity to explore new intervention strategies
for individuals with ASD, but modern VR technology such as head-mounted displays and mobile applications
have to date not been adequately investigated for feasibility or effectiveness in this population. Floreo has
developed a unique product that pairs the user and a supervising therapist in an immersive virtual
environment. The project team will conduct initial pilot studies on the usability and feasibility of a module
dedicated to training police safety skills in adolescents and adults with ASD in an immersive virtual
environment, and will then proceed to perform additional research and development on efficacy and
effectiveness of the PSM in improving police safety skills.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10222235
- **Project number:** 3R42MH115539-03S2
- **Recipient organization:** FLOREO, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Julia Parish-Morris
- **Activity code:** R42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $327,942
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-09-15 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10222235

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10222235, Immersive Virtual Reality as a Tool to Improve Police Safety in Adolescents and Adults with ASD (3R42MH115539-03S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10222235. Licensed CC0.

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