Wii Fit improves GMFCS 3 motor skills

RCT

Effects of interactive games on motor performance in children with cerebral palsy

AlSaif, A. A.& Alsenany, S.

Journal of Physical Therapy Science 27: 2001-2003, 2015

Link to full text: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4500030/

Objective: For children with cerebral palsy, what is the effect of training with Nintendo Wii on motor performance compared with no training?

Method: 40 6-to-10 year old children GMFCS 3 were randomly divided into a ‘no training’ group and a group that received game time at home for 20 minutes a day for 12 weeks. Subjects had a lower limb muscle power of no less than grade 4 and no fixed lower limb contractures.

Findings: Outcome measures used were the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (mABC-2) manual dexterity, ball skills of aiming and catching and balance; Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP) upper limb co-ordination (subtest 5:6), and the one-minute walk test. Significant results were found before and after the intervention between groups and within the treatment group, but not within the control group.

Active video games and Developmental Coordination Disorder

RCT

A crossover randomised and controlled trial of the impact of active video games (AVG) on motor coordination and perceptions of physical ability in children at risk of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)

Straker, L., Howie, E., Smith, A., Jensen, L., Piek, J. & Campbell, A.

Human Movement Science, 42 (2015) 146 – 160

Link to abstract: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26037276

Objective: In children with DCD, does exposure to AVG vs video game avoidance result in changes to motor coordination, or changes to parents’ or subjects’ perception of motor coordination.

Method: Twenty-one 9 to 12 year old children at risk of DCD were randomized in an unblinded cross-over study. They completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) and 3D motion analysis at the beginning of the study and after each condition; video game avoidance and AVG. AVG was done for a minimum of 20 minutes a day for at least 4 days a week for 16 weeks. Parents completed the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) and their children, used a global scale to report changes in their physical skills.

Findings: No significant differences were noted in MABC-2 scores, in 3D motion analysis or in the parents DCDQ ratings. "The children reported their motor skills to be significantly enhanced as a result of the AVG intervention in comparison to the period of no intervention".