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.