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Comparing performance within a virtual supermarket of children with traumatic brain injury to typically developing
Insights
Virtual reality shopping environments effectively assess pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) usability. Children with TBI showed slower shopping times and more errors than peers, highlighting potential executive function deficits.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to executive function deficits impacting daily activities.
- Virtual reality (VR) offers novel environments for assessing functional performance in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the usability of a virtual reality supermarket (VMall) for children with TBI.
- To compare the shopping task performance of children with TBI to typically developing peers.
Main Methods:
- Twenty children with TBI and 20 typically developing children completed a four-item virtual shopping task in the VMall.
- Performance metrics (time, errors), perceived exertion (Borg scale), and executive function (Zoo Map) were assessed.
Main Results:
- All participants successfully completed the virtual shopping task, indicating good VMall usability.
- Children with TBI exhibited significantly longer shopping times and a higher number of errors compared to controls.
- The virtual shopping task effectively identified performance deficits potentially linked to executive function impairments in the TBI group.
Conclusions:
- The VMall is a usable and motivating tool for assessing functional performance in children with TBI.
- Virtual reality tasks can reveal executive function deficits in pediatric TBI populations.
- The VMall holds potential for enhancing participation in daily living activities and play for children with TBI.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine the usability of a virtual reality environment for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) by assessing the performance of a simple virtual shopping task and comparing their results to typically developing peers. Twenty children with TBI and 20 typically developing children, matched in age and sex, "shopped" for four items in a virtual supermarket (VMall). A short feedback questionnaire, Borg's scale of perceived exertion, and the Zoo Map subtest from the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children were also administered. All of the children were able to complete a four-item test within the VMall. Overall, good usability was obtained. A significant difference in shopping performance was found between the two groups; the mean shopping time and number of mistakes was higher for the children with TBI. The use of a short shopping test within a functional virtual environment enabled detection of poorer performance of children with TBI that may be due to executive function deficits. Because the task was enjoyable and motivating, the VMall may also be used to enhance participation in instrumental activities of daily living and play for children with TBI. [OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health. 2013;33(4):218-227.].
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