Amanda Murphy of Caldwell was travelling with her then two-year-old son through Chicago O’Hare airport when, suddenly, it all became too much for him.
“We had a layover. We were walking to our connecting flight and he just decided he wanted to go and ran from me," Murphy said.
Her son Jay, who is now seven years old, has autism. She eventually found him, but they both were shaken.
For individuals with autism, going to an airport or any change in their routine can be overwhelming.
"It can be as simple as using a cup that they're not familiar with, to having a change in their schedule," said Kimberly Sloman with the Scott Center for Autism Treatment at the University of Florida. She said going to the airport means not only a change of schedule, but layers of new information that can be hard for these individuals to process.
“When you add in crowds, new smells, new noises, having to wait for extended periods of time adds in an additional challenges," said Sloman.
Wings For Autism is a national program aimed at making travelling for these families easier. It started in the Treasure Valley two years ago and takes families through check-in, security, boarding and baggage claim. It acts as a “test-run” for people with autism to expose them to the experience before an actual travel day.
Murphy thought about participating, but her son, Jay, doesn’t do well with large groups of people and a mock trip experience might give him the wrong idea.
“I was worried that it would cause a meltdown. So I've never taken him because I just didn't want to tempt him, 'Oh, you get to go on an airplane and have to turn around and get off," said Murphy.
But then, this summer, a program was introduced here in Boise that gave Murphy another option. Some students at Boise State University’s Games, Interactive Media and Mobile Technology program created a virtual reality experience that recreates the Boise Airport through an immersive headset and two hand controllers.
“Like with a lot of mediums, it usually starts out for solely entertainment but then people find more practical uses for it over time and our project is just an example of that, that we’re quite proud of," said student creator Justin Peters.
Peters' motivation comes from personal experience. He was diagnosed with autism at a young age and says letting kids prepare for new experiences at their own pace is essential for their success.
"We're just putting the kids in a safe spot but also being able to experience it firsthand, being able to pause the video and just kind of like fully process what kind of scenarios they will be going through," said Peters.
Using virtual reality as a tool for people with autism is a growing trend. There are experiences ranging from navigating chaotic malls to practicing job interviews, to interacting with police officers. Sloman says she’s supportive of the research, but it’s still very new.
“People are very excited to use technology. Whether it’s an effective treatment is still, I think, a long ways off," Sloman said.
But even the possibility of it working is enough for many to try it out.
Amanda Murphy went to the Boise Library with Jay, and older brother Adam, to try the airport virtual reality experience — it's a lot like the real-life walkthrough at the airport.
Murphy says the virtual experience allows for a more controlled environment, making meltdowns less likely.
“It's a better understanding that you're playing a game versus actually going on the plane," said Murphy.
But psychologist Sloman questions whether the game-like experience could make it less effective.
“When it comes to different treatment approaches, such as virtual reality is whether or not it lends itself to the real world context, whether it's something that ... being exposed to different situations for virtual reality will transfer to the real world," said Sloman.
The virtual airport experience is free to try at the Boise Public Library. It’s also free to download at home, however that can get pricey because families would need their own virtual reality system.
The initial run through with Jay seemed to be effective. The Murphy family hasn't flown since testing the system, so it’s hard to say how it might impact real-life airport travel. But Murphy says that VR is now very popular with both the boys and they have made the trip down from Caldwell again — and again — to experience the virtual airport, and probably some other games, at the Boise Library.
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