The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training with the Wii-balance board on balance and balance-related skills of children with poor motor performance. Twenty-nine children (23 boys, 6 girls; aged 7–12 years) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to an experimental and control group. All children scored below the 16th percentile on a standardized test of motor ability and balance skills (Movement Assessment Battery for children (M-ABC-2)). Before and after a six-week Wii-intervention (M = 8 h, 22 min, SD = 53 min), the balance skills of the experimental group and control group were measured with the M-ABC-2 and the Bruininks–Oseretsky test of motor proficiency (BOT-2). Both groups improved on all tests. The M-ABC-2 and the BOT-2 total balance-scores of the experimental group improved significantly from pre to post intervention, whereas those of the control group showed no significant progress. This resulted in significant interaction-effects, favoring the experimental children. No transfer-effects of the intervention on balance-related skills were demonstrated. Our findings showed that the Wii-balance board is an effective intervention for children with poor balance control. Further development and investigation of the intervention could be directed toward the implementation of the newly acquired balance-skills in daily life.
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The aim of this study was to examine differences in the performance of children with probable Developmental Coordination Disorder (p-DCD) and balance problems (BP) and typical developing children (TD) on a Wii Fit task and to measure the effect on balance skills after a Wii Fit intervention. Twenty-eight children with BP and 20 TD-children participated in the study. Motor performance was assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC2), three subtests of the Bruininks Oseretsky Test (BOT2): Bilateral Coordination, Balance and Running Speed & Agility, and a Wii Fit ski slalom test. The TD children and half of the children in the BP group were tested before and after a 6 weeks non-intervention period. All children with BP received 6 weeks of Wii Fit intervention (with games other than the ski game) and were tested before and afterwards. Children with BP were less proficient than TD children in playing the Wii Fit ski slalom game. Training with the Wii Fit improved their motor performance. The improvement was significantly larger after intervention than after a period of non-intervention. Therefore the change cannot solely be attributed to spontaneous development or test-retest effect. Nearly all children enjoyed participation during the 6 weeks of intervention. Our study shows that Wii Fit intervention is effective and is potentially a method to support treatment of (dynamic) balance control problems in children.
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De incidentie van niet aangeboren hersenletsel (NAH) bij personen in de leeftijd tot 25 jaar in Nederland is aanzienlijk, met ca. 18.000 nieuwe gevallen per jaar. Kinderen en jongeren met NAH hebben naast fysieke, cognitieve en emotionele beperkingen, een significant lager niveau van sociale participatie dan hun gezonde leeftijdgenoten. Het gebruik van de Nintendo Wii, een spelcomputer die bewegingen op natuurlijke en intuïtieve wijze uitlokt, lijkt mogelijkheden te bieden om contacten met anderen en actieve vrijetijdsbesteding bij jongeren met NAH te stimuleren. In deze studie wordt onderzocht wat het effect is van het gebruik van de Nintendo Wii bij kinderen en jongeren met NAH op fysiek, cognitief en sociaal functioneren. Om dit te onderzoeken is een multicenter, observationele pilotstudie verricht, bij 50 kinderen en jongeren met NAH in de leeftijd van 6-29 jaar die onder controle of behandeling zijn van een revalidatiearts. De interventie, van in totaal 12 weken, startte met 2 trainingssessies van 60 minuten, waarbij de toe te passen games werden gekozen passend bij zelf gekozen behandeldoelen (te verbeteren functies of activiteiten) en uitvoerbaar gezien de individuele beperkingen van de deelnemer. Vervolgens werd er minimaal 2 keer in de week gegamed. Er was wekelijks contact met een therapeut per telefoon of e-mail. De effectmetingen (vragenlijsten en een neuropsychologische test) werden verricht aan het begin en einde van de interventie en betroffen het fysiek, cognitief en sociaal functioneren. De statistische analyse bestond uit vergelijkingen van de uitkomstmaten tussen 0 en 12 weken met behulp van gepaarde t-toetsen, Wilcoxon-Signed-Rank tests en chi-kwadraat toetsen. Deze eerste pilotstudie naar de effecten van het gamen met de Nintendo Wii bij jongeren met NAH laat significante verbetering zien op het fysiek en cognitief functioneren, en niet op het sociaal functioneren. Deze resultaten zijn aanleiding om de effectiviteit van de Nintendo Wii in deze patiëntengroep in een grotere, gecontroleerde studie verder te onder ABSTRACT Aim: To explore the effects of usage of the Nintendo Wii on physical, cognitive and social functioning in patients with acquired brain injury (ABI). Methods: This multicenter, observational proof-of-concept study included children, adolescents and young adults with ABI aged 6-29 years. A standardized, yet individually tailored 12-week intervention with the Nintendo Wii was delivered by trained instructors. The treatment goals were set on an individual basis and included targets regarding physical, mental and/or social functioning. Outcome assessments were done at baseline and after 12 weeks, and included: the average number of minutes per week of recreational physical activity; the CAPE (Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment); the ANT (Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks); the achievement of individual treatment goals (Goal Attainment Scaling); and quality of life (PedsQL; Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory). Statistical analyses included paired t-tests or Wilcoxon-Signed-Rank tests. Results: 50 patients were included, (31 boys and 19 girls; mean age 17.1 years (SD 4.4)), of whom 45 (90%) completed the study. Significant changes of the amount of physical activity, speed of information processing, attention, response inhibition and visual-motor coordination (p<0.05) were seen after 12 weeks, whereas there were no differences in CAPE or PedsQL scores. Two-thirds of the patients reported an improvement of the main treatment goal. Conclusion: This study supports the potential benefits of gaming in children and youth with ABI.
