Virtual reality in psychomotor intervention of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: self-organization and affordances

• Grant number: 11/16719-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: April 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Ana Maria Pellegrini
• Grantee: Alexandre Monte Campelo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 10/52627-9 - Sistemics, self-organization and information, AP.TEM

Abstract

Throughout development, some children show difficulties in the performance of motor skills of daily life and they can be identified as shown Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). As a consequence of such difficulties, these children get away from playing with theirs school mates with negative psychosocial impact in theirs lives. In the present study, Developmental coordination children will perform activities in virtual reality environment. The affordances in this context will stimulate children to create new perspectives in theirs possibilities for motor behavior. Thus, the properties of the environment allow for the selection and responses to affordances. The motor action performed by the subject is not planned or calculated but emerge from the intrinsic dynamic of his body and from the ambient information and constraints. The last generation of videogames like Nintendo Wii and Xbox/Kinect allow for the subject interaction with his Avatar. In this way, human motor action can be precisely reproduced inside the virtual environment. The online feedback is also present in the balance games of the Wii Fit. The position, the displacement of the player center of pressure that is on the Wii Balance Board are shown in the display. The present study aims to measure the efficacy of the practice of physical activity by children with DCD in motor tasks exploring affordances in the virtual reality environment. Furthermore, search to identify motor patterns that emerge from self-organization processes taking into consideration static and dynamic balance, lower body muscle strength and the effect of the quality of life of the children participants. An equal number of DCD and DT children will participate in the present study. The "Movement Assessment Battery for children" M-ABC2 will be employed to evaluate children' motor coordination. All participants will be submitted to intervention procedures in two different virtual environments, the Wii and the Xbox/Kinect. The order of experience between these two environments will be counterbalanced between groups. Before and after the intervention program, participants will be evaluated so that it will be possible to infer the effect of these intervention procedures in motor coordination and control of DCD children. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

CAMPELO, Alexandre Monte. A realidade virtual na intervenção motora em crianças com transtorno do desenvolvimento da coordenação. 2013. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Biociências. Rio Claro Rio Claro.