Virtual Reality Active Games as a Potential Tool to Enhance Movement Skills and Promote Participation in Physical Activities for Children with DCD: Pilot Study

Abstract

Children with developmental coordination problems exhibit difficulties performing even seemingly simple motor tasks, discouraging them from engaging in age appropriate physical activities. It appears that playing active video games may have a positive impact on certain aspects of their motor performance and the willingness to be physically active. The purpose of the present pilot study was to examine if these positive effects can be evident in two children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) playing selected Xbox Kinect sports games. One eleven year old boy and a nine year old girl, diagnosed with DCD, were assessed using Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC2) and selected components of Bruininks Oseretsky Test (BOT2) at pre, mid, and post sessions, and two weeks after the program. Children engaged in Wake Racing, Climbing, Soccer, and Tennis games, in two 40-minute sessions per week, for 6 weeks. The parents and the children were also involved in an interview at the end of the study. The results from the formal assessment tools showed that both children improved in balance and ball skills subsections of the MABC2. However, the data from BOT2 failed to show the expected effects on running speed and agility, and in the strength domain. The interviews with children revealed that playing games was enjoyable and could potentially affect their willingness to take part in active play. This was confirmed by parents, who also were interested in implementing this protocol within the home setting. However, the degree to which the skills acquired/refined while playing active video games transfer to real-life tasks requires further investigation.