Abstract
The purpose of this study examined the feasibility of using a low-cost, commercially available gaming platform, the Wii® on improving the hand dexterity impairments in young adults with cerebral palsy. The study included 5 young adults with spastic cerebral palsy with a score of 1-3 on the GMFCS scale and a score of 1-2 on the MACS scale. The participants underwent an 8-week training intervention using the Wii™ for approximately 30 min/day 2 times a week. Training was performed using the Wii™ sports games software, including boxing, tennis, bowling, and archery. Three outcomes measures for hand impairments were used and tested during the study: such as the Hand dynamometer for the grip strength, Purdue peg board for the fine finger dexterity and the Box and Block test for the manual gross dexterity pre-and post- intervention as well as the family-reported activities of daily living before and after the interventions. A student’s t-test was used to analyse the pre- and the post-test results. The feasibility of using the virtual reality (Wii™) in the rehabilitation settings for young adults with CP showed positive outcomes in improving their hand impairments and manual ability. Additional hypotheses were proposed from the study for additional research.