Effects of VR in Children With DCD: Randomized Controlled Trial

The virtual reality protocol here is based on perceptual-motor activities, supported by Nintendo Wii resources. The user will be able to control a game character in a virtual environment using a remote control with a motion sensor. Wii Fit Plus requires the use of the Wii Balance Board that the player stands on during gameplay. The Wii Balance Board is not a wobbly balance board, but is able to detect and track the user's center of balance, a feature used extensively in the game. Wii Fit Plus includes more than 40 activities including yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games. During the virtual reality application, different games will be preferred in each session depending on the duration of the games. Virtual reality application will be carried out in a corner prepared for virtual reality application in the room where the conventional occupational therapy session is held. Families have the right to observe and attend all sessions whenever they wish.

Sensory integration and gross motor training approaches will be used in the conventional occupational therapy program. A manualized protocol based on Ayres sensory integration principles will be followed (Schaaf et al., 2012). The intervention will be carried out by a licensed occupational therapist trained in sensory integration.

This approach suggests that if a child engages in individually adapted sensorimotor activities, the nervous system is better able to modulate, organize, and integrate sensory information and is also more likely to use sensory information in adaptive ways (Ayres, 1972). Components of the intervention include a sensory-rich, playful, child-centered approach, providing a decision challenge, and facilitating increasingly complex adaptive behaviors by engaging the child in individually tailored, developmentally appropriate play interactions