Interactive Digital Game for Improving Visual-Perceptual Defects in Children With a Developmental Disability: Randomized Controlled Trial

Wen-Lan Wu; Yu-Ling Huang; Jing-Min Liang; Chia-Hsin Chen; Chih-Chung Wang; Wen-Hsien Ho

doi:10.2196/34756

Interactive Digital Game for Improving Visual-Perceptual Defects in Children With a Developmental Disability: Randomized Controlled Trial

JMIR Serious Games. 2022 Apr 15;10(2):e34756. doi: 10.2196/34756.

Authors

Wen-Lan Wu^{1

2}, Yu-Ling Huang¹, Jing-Min Liang¹, Chia-Hsin Chen^{3

4

5}, Chih-Chung Wang³, Wen-Hsien Ho^{2

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sports Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
² Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
³ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
⁵ Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Healthcare Administration and Medical Informatics, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan.

PMID: 35436215
PMCID: PMC9055488
DOI: 10.2196/34756

Abstract

Background: Visual-perceptual defects in children can negatively affect their ability to perform activities of daily living. Conventional rehabilitation training for correcting visual-perceptual defects has limited training patterns and limited interactivity, which makes motivation difficult to sustain.

Objective: We aimed to develop and evaluate an interactive digital game system for correcting visual-perceptual defects and evaluate its effectiveness.

Methods: Participants were children aged 5 to 10 years with a diagnosis of visual-perceptual defect associated with a developmental disability. The children were randomized into a digital game group who received the traditional course of rehabilitation combined with an interactive digital game intervention (n=12) and a standard rehabilitation group (n=11) who only received the traditional course of rehabilitation. Each group underwent rehabilitation once a week for 4 weeks. Overall improvement in Test of Visual Perceptual Skills 3rd edition (TVPS-3) score and overall improvement in performance in the interactive digital game were evaluated. Parents and therapists were asked to complete a satisfaction questionnaire.

Results: After 4 weeks, the TVPS-3 score had significantly increased (P=.002) in the digital game group (pre: mean 41.67, SD 13.88; post: 61.50, SD 21.64). In the standard rehabilitation group, the TVPS-3 score also increased, but the increase was not statistically significant (P=.58). Additionally, TVPS-3 score increases were significantly larger for the digital game group compared with those for the standard rehabilitation group (P=.005). Moreover, both parents and therapists were highly satisfied with the system. All 5 themes of satisfaction had mean scores higher than 4 in a 5-point scale questionnaire (mean 4.30, SD 0.56).

Conclusions: The system has potential applications for improving visual-perceptual function in children undergoing medical rehabilitation for developmental disability.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05016492; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05016492.

Keywords: Children; Test of Visual Perceptual Skills; developmental disability; interactive digital game; rehabilitation; visual–perceptual defect.

©Wen-Lan Wu, Yu-Ling Huang, Jing-Min Liang, Chia-Hsin Chen, Chih-Chung Wang, Wen-Hsien Ho. Originally published in JMIR Serious Games (https://games.jmir.org), 15.04.2022.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT05016492