EndeavorRx Video Game First to Get FDA Approval for Kids With ADHD

EndeavorRx Video Game EndeavorRx attention deficit hyperactivity disorder adhd U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA Orion Behavioral Health Network Akili Interactive Labs video games sensory stimuli attention function

By Lili Scott , Parent Herald Feb 19, 06:45 am

Photo: (Photo : ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP via Getty Images)

EndeavorRx video game has now launched for Apple iOS and Android devices after receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a symptoms management treatment tool for kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a first for any video game.

The new game delivers a typical video gaming experience, where the users navigate different courses and obstacles in a colorful and stimulating environment. While it looks simple and common, the game was designed by both medical and gaming experts as a therapeutic program with a clinician-directed process for kids with ADHD.

This is specifically geared for children diagnosed with the condition between 8 to 12 years old. However, the kids need to get a clearance and prescription from their doctors before getting their hands on the game.

According to its FAQs, the EndeavorRx video game is not meant to replace medication but as a supplemental therapeutic program.

How EndeavorRx Video Game Works

Speaking with Motherly, Christopher D. Dietrich from the Orion Behavioral Health Network, said that he prescribes 20-minute playtime five days a week for his ADHD patients, as recommended by the clinical trials. Then he lets them pause from the game for four weeks before they restart the therapy.

The game is featured with different sensory stimuli and challenges that work to activate sections in the brain that relate to attention function. It essentially teaches kids with ADHD to concentrate, focus and develop flexibility while they complete obstacles as they tap on the device's screen.

The process also provides mechanisms of rewards to motivate the children. Akili Interactive Labs, Inc., the game developer, programmed EndeavorRx to be adaptable and modifiable, depending on the players' treatment needs. The company also regularly updates the program to keep the characters and the gameplay fresh.

Kids may also have options for long-term or short-term goals within a game that encourages strategy, exploration, and discovery. They are provided options for leveling up in the gaming ecosystem so that EndeavorRx remains fun while they don't miss out on their treatments.

Akili took ten years to develop the game that entailed at least five clinical studies involving 600 kids with ADHD before securing the FDA approval in 2021.

What the Studies Revealed about EndeavorRx Video Game

The clinical trial conducted in 2020 revealed that kids with ADHD, who played EndeavorRx for a set period of time, showed marked improvements in their disorder by as much as 60 percent versus the control group, who played another game. The results, published in The Lancet Journal, also showed no serious side effects to the therapy, except for frustration, emotional reaction, and some headache or dizziness.

A more recent study in 2021 revealed that if the EndeavorRx video game is used in line with medications, children who played for a month developed more manageable symptoms and better attention span than kids who were not on any medication. The rationale behind limiting kids' time on the game is to avoid excessive electronic use or too much screen time. Thus, it breaks the stigma of video game addiction as well.