It was thought that evaluating the behaviour of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) before and after a Virtual Reality Dolphin Encounter (VRDE) would be useful, given the reports of increases in attention capabilities following dolphin encounters. To date, these claims have not been systematically investigated with this pediatric population. This collective term describes at least two manifestations (Wolraich & Baumgärtel, 1997) of a behavioural disorder characterized by inattention, inability to concentrate, difficulties in social relationships, lack of self control (McFarland &Kosltad, 1995), inability to remain at rest while awake, and difficulty concentrating on a particular activity (Dharmananda, 1996; Catellanos, 1997). It is the most commonly diagnosed childhood psychiatric condition (Long, 1995), with between 3 to 5% of the US pediatric population estimated to be affected. The prevalence in other industrialised countries is regarded as somewhat lower. Hyperkineses is the primary symptom distinguishing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), without a hyperactive component (Marshall & Hynd, 1997).

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