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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)NCT06960980

Improving ADHD Teen Driving - Virtual Reality

A study testing FOCAL+ and VR-FOCAL+ in people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), run by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati at 1 site in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Teens with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have high rates of negative driving outcomes, including motor vehicle crashes, which may be caused by visual inattention (i.e., looking away from the roadway to perform secondary tasks). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 16 to 19 years
What is being tested?
FOCAL+ and VR-FOCAL+
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
204 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
11 Sep 2025to 31 Aug 2029
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 16 to 19 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Aged 16-19.
  • Teens will meet DSM ADHD criteria for ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive Presentation or ADHD-Combined Presentation based on the K-SADS interview.
  • Possess a valid driver's license and regularly spend at least 3 hours per week engaged in unsupervised driving.
  • IQ ≥80 as measured by the Kauffman Brief Intelligence Scale - Second Edition (KBIT-2).
  • Parent willing to participate.

Who cannot join

  • On ADHD medication that cannot be washed out on assessment days.
  • Drug or alcohol dependence based on self-report on the Simple Screening Instrument for Alcohol and Other Drugs survey.
  • On psychotropic or neuroleptic medications.
  • At-risk for motion sickness in the driving simulator or in virtual reality.
  • History of moderate to severe head trauma, neurological disorder, or any other organic disorder that could possibly affect brain function.
  • Cannot see the secondary task stimuli without the use of glasses (contacts acceptable).

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Clinical Research Coordinator contact

513-636-0007

ADHDdriving@cchmc.org

United States1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229

    Jeff Epstein, Ph.D., 513-636-8296, jeff.epstein@cchmc.org

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Teens with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have high rates of negative driving outcomes, including motor vehicle crashes, which may be caused by visual inattention (i.e., looking away from the roadway to perform secondary tasks). Two versions of a driving intervention that trains teens to reduce instances of looking away from the roadway will be tested in teens with ADHD.

Read the detailed description

Motor vehicle crashes (MVC) are the leading causes of death among teens with eight teens dying per day in an MVC. Teens with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are at twice the risk of MVC compared to teen drivers without ADHD. A programmatic line of research by this investigative team has identified long (>2 secs) glances away from the roadway, particularly during engagement with secondary tasks, as being a key mechanism in ADHD teen driving risk. In the original research grant, the investigative team developed and tested a driver training program, enhanced FOcused Concentration and Attention Learning (FOCAL+), to specifically target reducing rates of extended glances away from the roadway in teens with ADHD. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), teens with ADHD randomly assigned to FOCAL+ demonstrated 41% fewer long-glances and less variability in lane position during simulated driving assessments conducted immediately after the final training session, and 1- and 6-months post-training compared to teens assigned to modified driver's training. Moreover, during naturalistic driving over the course of a year of driving, FOCAL+ teens had 40% less risk of a crash/near-crash event than control teens. However, there are considerable barriers to disseminating FOCAL+ in its current format. FOCAL+, as implemented in the RCT, requires costly (~$90K) hardware and software that are quite complex to use. Though there has been much interest in offering this training since publication of our RCT results, key stakeholders have reported that the expense and complexity of the hardware and software requirements are barriers to adoption. In the proposed study, with input from relevant stakeholders, FOCAL+ training will be converted to an immersive virtual reality (iVR) platform. iVR-FOCAL+ will provide an affordable ($5K), single hardware, single software, easily-executable solution that implementation sites (i.e., driving schools, outpatient occupational therapy) will be able to afford, adopt, and offer to teens with ADHD. Using a hybrid effectiveness-implementation design, teens with ADHD will be randomly assigned to receive either iVR-FOCAL+, the original FOCAL+ or a wait-list control group. The iVR-FOCAL+ training will be implemented in real-world, non-research settings (i.e., driving schools, outpatient occupational therapy). At baseline and 1- and 6-months post-training, teens' driving skills will be assessed during driving simulation. Naturalistic driving will be assessed during the year after training using video event recorders installed in the teen's car. Training costs and implementation outcomes (e.g., barriers to implementation) for each training will be collected. Using these data, the investigators will examine the relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of iVR-FOCAL+ intervention compared to FOCAL+ training. Finally, implementation of iVR-FOCAL+ will be described. The proposed research has the potential to facilitate adoption and eventual dissemination of a training program that can prevent injuries and fatalities among a high-risk population of teens as well as among those who share their roadways.

Being tested
FOCAL+, VR-FOCAL+
Keywords
Visual attention, Automobile Driving
Medical subject headings
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • FOCAL+Behavioural

    Weekly for 5 weeks, teens complete a computer training program designed to train teens to limit the length of glances away from the roadway. During phase 1 of each training session, on a computer, the top portion of the screen plays a simulated video drive while the bottom half of the screen contains a map. Teens complete tasks that require switching between the 2 halves of the screen. While doing so, they receive feedback regarding how long they are looking away from the driving portion of the screen. During phase 2 of each training session, teens will complete five 5-minute simulated drives using a fixed-base driving simulator. During the drives, teens will be cued to a complete a visual search task which will require them to divert their gaze from the road. Eye tracking goggles will monitor eye glances and provide real time auditory feedback when a visual glance away from the roadway exceeds 2 secs.

  • VR-FOCAL+Behavioural

    Weekly for 5 weeks, teens complete a training program designed to train teens to limit the length of glances away from the roadway. The training has two phases, each of which will be administered using immersive virtual reality. The first phase will have teens switch between the upper half of a virtual reality screen which will play a simulated video drive while the bottom half contains a map. Teens complete tasks that require switching between the 2 halves of the screen. While doing so, they receive feedback regarding how long they are looking away from the driving portion of the screen. During the second phase of each session, teens will complete five 5-minute simulated drives in a virtual reality environment where teens will be cued to a complete a visual search task which will require them to divert their gaze from the road. Eye tracking will monitor eye glances and provide real time auditory feedback when a visual glance away from the roadway exceeds 2 secs.

Study groups in NCT06960980
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
FOCAL+ TrainingExperimentalEnhanced FOcused Concentration and Attention Learning driver training using desktop computer and fixed base driving simulator
Receives: Behavioral: FOCAL+
Virtual Reality - FOCAL+ExperimentalEnhanced FOcused Concentration and Attention Learning driver training using virtual reality
Receives: Behavioral: VR-FOCAL+
Wait-list ControlNo interventionTeens will wait approximately 1 year to receive FOCAL+ training. In order to control for experience with the driving simulator across groups, teens in this group will attend 5 weekly sessions where they will experience five 5-minute drives in the driving simulator. During the drives, teens will be cued to a complete a visual search task which will require them to divert their gaze from the road. Teens in this group will not receive feedback regarding eye glances during these drives.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Number of extended glances away from the roadway during simulated driving

    Participants will complete a simulated drive in a driving simulator with an integrated eye-tracking system. Participants will complete two 15-minute drives. During each drive, participants will engage in 14 secondary tasks. The secondary task consist of searching for streets on a GPS map for 20 seconds. Eye gaze will be sampled continuously. Eye gaze data will be summarized by calculating the number of extended (≥2 secs) glances away from the roadway during the 14 secondary task periods per drive. Descriptive estimates will reflect averages across the 2 drives. However, for analyses, estimates for each drive will be statistically modeled with a two-level drive variable.

    Measured: 1-month post-training

  2. Number of extended glances away from the roadway during simulated driving

    Participants will complete a simulated drive in a driving simulator with an integrated eye-tracking system. Participants will complete two 15-minute drives. During each drive, participants will engage in 14 secondary tasks. The secondary task consist of searching for streets on a GPS map for 20 seconds. Eye gaze will be sampled continuously. Eye gaze data will be summarized by calculating the number of extended (≥2 secs) glances away from the roadway during the 14 secondary task periods per drive. Descriptive estimates will reflect averages across the 2 drives. However, for analyses, estimates for each drive will be statistically modeled with a two-level drive variable.

    Measured: 6-months post-training

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Standard Deviation of Lateral Position during simulated driving

    Participants will complete a simulated drive in a driving simulator with an integrated eye-tracking system. Participants will complete two 15-minute drives. During each drive, participants will engage in 14 secondary tasks. The secondary task consist of searching for streets on a GPS map for 20 seconds. Lateral position will be sampled continuously. Standard deviation of lane position will be calculated for the 14 secondary task periods per drive. Estimates will reflect averages across the 2 drives. However, for analyses, estimates for each drive will be statistically modeled with a two-level drive variable.

    Measured: 1-month post-training

  2. Standard Deviation of Lateral Position during simulated driving

    Participants will complete a simulated drive in a driving simulator with an integrated eye-tracking system. Participants will complete two 15-minute drives. During each drive, participants will engage in 14 secondary tasks. The secondary task consist of searching for streets on a GPS map for 20 seconds. Lateral position will be sampled continuously. Standard deviation of lane position will be calculated for the 14 secondary task periods per drive. Estimates will reflect averages across the 2 drives. However, for analyses, estimates for each drive will be statistically modeled with a two-level drive variable.

    Measured: 6-months post-training

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted7 May 2025
  2. Study start11 Sep 2025
  3. Primary completion31 Aug 2029 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Aug 2029 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
204 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06960980
Sponsor's protocol ID
2025-0273
Other IDs
R01HD084430-06A1
Status last verified
Feb 2026
First submitted
29 Apr 2025
Last updated
23 Feb 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Clinical data that will be preserved and shared are demographic data, diagnostic data and intelligence testing results, among other data pertinent to the study. Research data that will be shared include the driving history, driving simulation, eyetracking data, and driving event codings.

Publications

  • Epstein JN, Garner AA, Kiefer AW, Peugh J, Tamm L, MacPherson RP, Simon JO, Fisher DL. Trial of Training to Reduce Driver Inattention in Teens with ADHD. N Engl J Med. 2022 Dec 1;387(22):2056-2066. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2204783.

    PubMed 36449421

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing FOCAL+ and VR-FOCAL+ in people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), run by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Clinical Research Coordinator (513-636-0007, ADHDdriving@cchmc.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Number of extended glances away from the roadway during simulated driving (time frame: 1-month post-training). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06960980, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 Feb 2026.

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