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Effect of a Home-Based Virtual Reality Intervention for Children with Cerebral Palsy Using Super Pop VR Evaluation
Yuping Chen1, Sergio Garcia-Vergara2, Ayanna M Howard2
1Department of Physical Therapy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302-4019, USA.
Insights
Super Pop VR is a feasible tool for assessing children with cerebral palsy (CP). This home-based virtual reality intervention showed potential for improving motor function in some children with CP.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Virtual Reality in Medicine
- Motor Control in Cerebral Palsy
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) presents significant motor challenges for children.
- Objective assessment of motor function is crucial for effective intervention.
- Low-cost, accessible technology can enhance home-based rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of Super Pop VR for documenting motor improvement in children with CP.
- To determine the effectiveness of a home-based VR intervention for children with CP.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study involving three children with CP.
- An 8-week home-based VR intervention using the EyeToy Play VR system.
- Assessment of reaching kinematics and fine motor skills using Super Pop VR and traditional tools (BOT-2, PMAL) at baseline, mid-point, and post-intervention.
Main Results:
- Super Pop VR demonstrated feasibility, with 85% of collected reaches usable for kinematic analysis, comparable to high-cost systems.
- One child with hemiplegic CP showed improvements in reaching kinematics and functional hand use post-intervention.
- The VR system was successfully used by children in a home setting.
Conclusions:
- Super Pop VR is a feasible and accessible tool for evaluating motor function in children with CP.
- Home-based VR interventions show potential, with individualized responses observed.
- Further research with larger cohorts is warranted to confirm efficacy.
Abstract:
Objective. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether Super Pop VR, a low-cost virtual reality (VR) system, was a feasible system for documenting improvement in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and whether a home-based VR intervention was effective. Methods. Three children with CP participated in this study and received an 8-week VR intervention (30 minutes × 5 sessions/week) using the commercial EyeToy Play VR system. Reaching kinematics measured by Super Pop VR and two fine motor tools (Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency second edition, BOT-2, and Pediatric Motor Activity Log, PMAL) were tested before, mid, and after intervention. Results. All children successfully completed the evaluations using the Super Pop VR system at home where 85% of the reaches collected were used to compute reaching kinematics, which is compatible with literature using expensive motion analysis systems. Only the child with hemiplegic CP and more impaired arm function improved the reaching kinematics and functional use of the affected hand after intervention. Conclusion. Super Pop VR proved to be a feasible evaluation tool in children with CP.
