The studies examined suggest moderate evidence about the effectiveness of  VR-based treatments in ASD .
VR can add many advantages to the treatment of ASD symptomatology , but it is necessary to develop consistent validations in future studies to state that VR can effectively complement the traditional treatments
Autism Spectrum Disorder ( ASD ) is a neurodevelopmental disease that is specially characterized by impairments in social communication and social skills .
ASD has a high prevalence in children , affecting 1 in 160 subjects .
Virtual reality ( VR ) has emerged as an effective tool for intervention in the health field .
Different recent papers have review ed the VR-based treatments in ASD , but they have an important limitation because they only use clinical data bases and do not include important technical indexes such as the Web of Science index or the Scimago Journal & Country Rank .
To our knowledge , this is the first contribution that has carried out an evidence -based systematic review including both clinical and technical data bases about the effectiveness of VR-based intervention in ASD .
Effect of an Immersive Preoperative Virtual Reality Experience on Patient Reported Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Objective : To investigate the effect of exposure to a virtual reality ( VR ) environment preoperatively on  patient-reported outcomes  for surgical operations . Background : There is a scarcity of well-developed quality improvement initiatives targeting patient satisfaction . Methods : We performed a r and omized controlled trial of patients undergoing cranial and spinal operations in a tertiary referral center . Patients underwent a 1:1 r and omization to an immersive preoperative VR experience or st and ard preoperative experience  stratified on type of operation . The primary outcome measures were the Evaluation du Vecu de l’Anesthesie Generale ( EVAN-G ) score and the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information ( APAIS ) score , as markers of the patient 's experience during the surgical encounter . Results : During the study period , a total of 127 patients ( mean age 55.3 years , 41.9 % females ) underwent r and omization . The average EVAN-G score was 84.3 ( st and ard deviation , SD , 6.4 ) after VR , and 64.3 ( SD , 11.7 ) after st and ard preoperative experience ( difference , 20.0 ; 95 % confidence interval , CI , 16.6–23.3 ) . Exposure to an immersive VR experience also led to higher APAIS score ( difference , 29.9 ; 95 % CI , 24.5–35.2 ) . In addition , VR led to lower preoperative VAS stress score ( difference , −41.7 ; 95 % CI , −33.1 to −50.2 ) , and higher preoperative VAS preparedness ( difference , 32.4 ; 95 % CI , 24.9–39.8 ) , and VAS satisfaction ( difference , 33.2 ; 95 % CI , 25.4–41.0 ) scores . No association was identified with VAS stress score ( difference , −1.6 ; 95 % CI , −13.4 to 10.2 ) . Conclusions : In a r and omized controlled trial , we demonstrated that patients exposed to preoperative VR had increased satisfaction during the surgical encounter . Harnessing the power of this technology , hospitals can create an immersive environment that minimizes stress , and enhances the perioperative experience
The studies examined suggest moderate evidence about the effectiveness of  VR-based treatments in ASD .
VR can add many advantages to the treatment of ASD symptomatology , but it is necessary to develop consistent validations in future studies to state that VR can effectively complement the traditional treatments
Autism Spectrum Disorder ( ASD ) is a neurodevelopmental disease that is specially characterized by impairments in social communication and social skills .
ASD has a high prevalence in children , affecting 1 in 160 subjects .
Virtual reality ( VR ) has emerged as an effective tool for intervention in the health field .
Different recent papers have review ed the VR-based treatments in ASD , but they have an important limitation because they only use clinical data bases and do not include important technical indexes such as the Web of Science index or the Scimago Journal & Country Rank .
To our knowledge , this is the first contribution that has carried out an evidence -based systematic review including both clinical and technical data bases about the effectiveness of VR-based intervention in ASD .