Can serious play and clinical cognitive assessment go together? On the feasibility and user-experience of virtual reality simulations in paediatric neurorehabilitation

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Verheul, Floor^{a; 1} | Gosselt, Isabel^{b; 1} | Spreij, Lauriane^b | Visser-Meily, Anne^{b; c} | te Winkel, Sandra^d | Rentinck, Ingrid^a | Nijboer, Tanja^{b; c; e; *}

Affiliations: [a] De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation, Utrecht, The Netherlands | [b] Centre of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, UMC Utrecht Brain Centre, University Medical Centre Utrecht, and De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation, Utrecht, the Netherlands | [c] Department of Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy Science & Sports, UMC Utrecht Brain Centre, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands | [d] Merem Medical Rehabilitation, Hilversum, The Netherlands | [e] Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Tanja C.W. Nijboer, Centre of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, Rembrandtkade 10, 3583 TM Utrecht, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 30 256 1382; E-mail: t.c.w.nijboer@uu.nl.

Note: [1] Authors contributed equally to the manuscript. This is regarded as a shared first authorship.

Abstract: PURPOSE:Cognitive impairments frequently occur in children and adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI), causing significant disabilities in daily life. Current paper-and-pencil neuropsychological tests do not capture the complexity of daily life activities, often failing to objectify subtle cognitive impairments. Virtual Reality (VR) simulations might overcome this discrepancy, as it resembles daily life situations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, user-experience and preference of a VR simulation with a non-immersive (computer monitor; CM)) and immersive (head mounted display; HMD)) VR setup. METHODS:Children and adolescents with ABI (n = 15) and typically developing children and adolescents (n = 21) completed a VR-task with a CM and HMD. RESULTS:Both VR setups were feasible for children and adolescents with ABI. User-experience was enhanced with the HMD compared to CM in both groups. Side effects were low and comparable for both groups, and there were no differences between setups (HMD and CM). The majority of the children and adolescents with ABI preferred the HMD. CONCLUSION:VR simulations appear feasible to use in paediatric rehabilitation. The preference for a VR setup should be discussed with the child. Further research is needed to develop more sensitive measures to further explore the potential of VR for cognitive assessment.

Keywords: Virtual reality, feasibility, cognition, computerized assessment, paediatric rehabilitation

DOI: 10.3233/PRM-200801

Journal: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 265-274, 2022