Immersive Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Communication Disorders: A Scoping Review.
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| Title: | Immersive Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Communication Disorders: A Scoping Review. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Nudelman, Charles J.1 cjnudelm@syr.edu, Niu, Junhua1, Hutz, Emma-Grace1, Edwards, Krista1 |
| Source: | American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Jul2026, Vol. 35 Issue 4, p1851-1867. 17p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Speech-language pathology, *Aphasia, *Stuttering, *Clinical competence, Treatment of communicative disorders, Descriptive statistics, Treatment effectiveness, Virtual reality, Systematic reviews, MEDLINE, Online information services, Patient participation |
| Abstract: | Background: The objective of the present scoping review was to identify how immersive virtual reality (VR) has been implemented within the discipline of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) among clinical populations. Method: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, five electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies published between 1965 and August 2025. A total of 1,116 records were identified, of which 11 publications met the inclusion criteria of employing immersive VR with individuals diagnosed with a communication disorder and involving a speechlanguage pathologist or CSD researcher. Results: Across the 11 included studies, nearly half (45%) examined immersive VR applications for stuttering, while other studies targeted aphasia, dementia, voice disorders, and neurogenic communication disorders. Most studies employed within-subject experimental or case study designs with small sample sizes (ranging from three to 36 participants, ages 9--81 years). Generally, across studies, immersive VR elicited communicative and emotional responses comparable to those observed in real-world contexts. Participants reported strong presence and engagement, supporting the potential and feasibility of VR-based interventions across CSD populations. Discussion: Strengths of the evidence include consistent feasibility outcomes. Limitations include small sample sizes, short intervention durations, and considerable heterogeneity in study designs and outcome measures. Clinicians and researchers may find immersive VR a valuable complement to conventional methods, offering opportunities to study and support communication behaviors within controlled yet ecologically relevant contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 195279709 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Immersive Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Communication Disorders: A Scoping Review. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nudelman%2C+Charles+J%2E%22">Nudelman, Charles J.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> cjnudelm@syr.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Niu%2C+Junhua%22">Niu, Junhua</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hutz%2C+Emma-Grace%22">Hutz, Emma-Grace</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Edwards%2C+Krista%22">Edwards, Krista</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22American+Journal+of+Speech-Language+Pathology%22">American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology</searchLink>. Jul2026, Vol. 35 Issue 4, p1851-1867. 17p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech-language+pathology%22">Speech-language pathology</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aphasia%22">Aphasia</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stuttering%22">Stuttering</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Clinical+competence%22">Clinical competence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Treatment+of+communicative+disorders%22">Treatment of communicative disorders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Treatment+effectiveness%22">Treatment effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Virtual+reality%22">Virtual reality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Systematic+reviews%22">Systematic reviews</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22MEDLINE%22">MEDLINE</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Online+information+services%22">Online information services</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Patient+participation%22">Patient participation</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Background: The objective of the present scoping review was to identify how immersive virtual reality (VR) has been implemented within the discipline of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) among clinical populations. Method: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, five electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies published between 1965 and August 2025. A total of 1,116 records were identified, of which 11 publications met the inclusion criteria of employing immersive VR with individuals diagnosed with a communication disorder and involving a speechlanguage pathologist or CSD researcher. Results: Across the 11 included studies, nearly half (45%) examined immersive VR applications for stuttering, while other studies targeted aphasia, dementia, voice disorders, and neurogenic communication disorders. Most studies employed within-subject experimental or case study designs with small sample sizes (ranging from three to 36 participants, ages 9--81 years). Generally, across studies, immersive VR elicited communicative and emotional responses comparable to those observed in real-world contexts. Participants reported strong presence and engagement, supporting the potential and feasibility of VR-based interventions across CSD populations. Discussion: Strengths of the evidence include consistent feasibility outcomes. Limitations include small sample sizes, short intervention durations, and considerable heterogeneity in study designs and outcome measures. Clinicians and researchers may find immersive VR a valuable complement to conventional methods, offering opportunities to study and support communication behaviors within controlled yet ecologically relevant contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1044/2026_AJSLP-25-00596 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 17 StartPage: 1851 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Speech-language pathology Type: general – SubjectFull: Aphasia Type: general – SubjectFull: Stuttering Type: general – SubjectFull: Clinical competence Type: general – SubjectFull: Treatment of communicative disorders Type: general – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics Type: general – SubjectFull: Treatment effectiveness Type: general – SubjectFull: Virtual reality Type: general – SubjectFull: Systematic reviews Type: general – SubjectFull: MEDLINE Type: general – SubjectFull: Online information services Type: general – SubjectFull: Patient participation Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Immersive Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Communication Disorders: A Scoping Review. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Nudelman, Charles J. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Niu, Junhua – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hutz, Emma-Grace – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Edwards, Krista IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 07 Text: Jul2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 10580360 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 35 – Type: issue Value: 4 Titles: – TitleFull: American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Type: main |
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