Interactive Digital Game for Improving Visual–Perceptual Defects in Children With a Developmental Disability: Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Visual–perceptual defects in children can negatively affect their ability to perform activities of daily living. Conventional rehabilitation training for correcting visual–perceptual defects has limited training patterns and limited interactivity, which makes motivation difficult to sustain. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to develop and evaluate an interactive digital game system for correcting visual–perceptual defects and evaluate its effectiveness. METHODS: Participants were children aged 5 to 10 years with a diagnosis of visual–perceptual defect associated with a developmental disability. The children were randomized into a digital game group who received the traditional course of rehabilitation combined with an interactive digital game intervention (n=12) and a standard rehabilitation group (n=11) who only received the traditional course of rehabilitation. Each group underwent rehabilitation once a week for 4 weeks. Overall improvement in Test of Visual Perceptual Skills 3rd edition (TVPS-3) score and overall improvement in performance in the interactive digital game were evaluated. Parents and therapists were asked to complete a satisfaction questionnaire. RESULTS: After 4 weeks, the TVPS-3 score had significantly increased (P=.002) in the digital game group (pre: mean 41.67, SD 13.88; post: 61.50, SD 21.64). In the standard rehabilitation group, the TVPS-3 score also increased, but the increase was not statistically significant (P=.58). Additionally, TVPS-3 score increases were significantly larger for the digital game group compared with those for the standard rehabilitation group (P=.005). Moreover, both parents and therapists were highly satisfied with the system. All 5 themes of satisfaction had mean scores higher than 4 in a 5-point scale questionnaire (mean 4.30, SD 0.56). CONCLUSIONS: The system has potential applications for improving visual–perceptual function in children undergoing medical rehabilitation for developmental disability. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05016492; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05016492