Marlene Sandlund, Institutionen för Samhällsmedicin och Rehabilitering samt Institutionen för Informatik: Interactive computer play in rehabilitation of children with sensorimotor disorders

This research programme will be conducted as a user centred process aiming to evaluate the use of interactive computer games in rehabilitation of children with movement disorders and to design a new interactive computer environment that reflects the rehabilitation needs of these children regarding movement control and the impact of playfulness and motivation/adherence.

Children with sensorimotor disorders (cerebral palsy) encounter difficulties in the performance of activities of daily living due to limitations in range of motion and lack of control in voluntary actions, especially with the manual abilities essential for successful precision movements. These children therefore receive ongoing physical and occupational therapy and many children need intense and prolonged rehabilitation that challenge their motivation for therapy. Therapists often struggle to find stimulating, functional and meaningful activities that could be performed in spite of large deficits in motor control.

In rehabilitation of motor performance the task context is crucial. The quality of the movement pattern will be enhanced if the therapist can provide a functional context in which the child can practice. An interactive environment can provide lots of opportunities to create such meaningful tasks for the children. In addition to that, even if the motor capabilities of the child are quite gross, the environment can help them achieve the feeling of being able to manage things that they can not perform in the real world. This feeling contributes to the child’s self esteem and quality of life.

Research in the area of computer interaction as treatment is still at an early stage of development, especially when it comes to applications in the field of paediatrics. Still one could argue that it is particularly for children that computer environments could have great potential. A few studies have demonstrated the effects of computer environments in motor rehabilitation for physically handicapped children. Positive effects have also been seen in the stimulation of children’s playfulness and motivation. Although the advantages of computer interactive techniques are becoming widely recognized, the rehabilitation community faces a challenge in finding an off-the-shelf system that meets their needs, that is user friendly for children with physical disabilities, and yet is affordable by a typical clinic or, even better, for use in home-based therapy.