Gaming supports youth with acquired brain injury? A pilot study

Kloet, A.J. de; Berger, M.A.M.; Verhoeven, I.M.A.J.; Callenfels, K.V.; Vlieland, T.P.M.V. (2012)

Article / Letter to editor

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 multi-centre, 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 Fifty 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.

• All authors: Kloet, A.J. de; Berger, M.A.M.; Verhoeven, I.M.A.J.; Callenfels, K.V.; Vlieland, T.P.M.V.
• Date: 2012-12-28
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 7-8
• Pages: 1021 - 9
• DOI: doi:10.3109/02699052.2012.654592