Establishing Design Requirements for a Virtual Therapy Aid for Executive Dysfunction

The rehabilitation of executive functions is seen as a key factor for successful reintegration into the community following an acquired brain injury. Seemingly basic everyday tasks require the complex coordination of many cognitive abilities, any of which can be negatively impacted by the brain injury. Specifically it may inhibit a person's ability to deal with temptations, frustrations and distractions. We have found existing therapeutic interventions to be effective in the treatment of executive dysfunction, but lacking in flexibility, and therefore generalisation to real world scenarios. These options also offer limited opportunity for stimulating reflection. Our work is intended to generate a framework for supporting reflection in social simulations, such that they may be incorporated into the therapeutic practices of clinicians who are concerned with executive functioning.