Feasibility and Effectiveness of Speech Intervention Implemented with a Virtual Reality System in Children with Developmental Language Disorders: A Pilot Randomized Control Trial

Abstract

Language disorders are characterized by impairments in verbal expression/understanding, including difficulties with one or more language components. The Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System (VRRS) is a bioelectromedical device equipped with exercise sections aimed at improving cognitive and language deficits. It also increases patient motivation and engagement. The aim of our study was to test the feasibility and efficacy of VRRS intervention to improve speech therapy treatment for children with speech disorders. Thirty-two patients were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to the experimental (EG) or control group (CG). The CG underwent conventional speech therapy, while EG underwent VRRS-implemented speech therapy. Both groups were evaluated before (T0) and after (T1) the intervention using the Language Assessment Test. The results showed improvements in both groups. However, the EG group showed greater improvement in various areas, including comprehension of total words, repetition, naming of body parts, naming of everyday objects, total naming, morphosyntactic accuracy, sentence construction, average length of utterance, and spontaneous word production. This study demonstrated that VRRS can be a valuable tool for implementing effective speech rehabilitation. Further studies are needed, as the use of VRRS is still in its early stages, requiring larger samples sizes and long-term follow-up.

Is Virtual Reality Orientation Therapy Useful to Optimize Cognitive and Behavioral Functioning Following Severe Acquired Brain Injury? An Exploratory Study

“…Studies investigating VR-ROT by obtaining a single cognitive functioning score to evaluate treatment effectiveness could not be found in the literature. This lack of research may be due to the absence of advanced rehabilitation equipment in hospitals, which is often caused by high costs, accessibility problems, and a shortage of highly qualified therapists [39].…”

“…The subject immersed in the illusory world can better handle mistakes and reproduce exercises as compared to the repetitive tasks involved in traditional therapeutic rehabilitation [55]. This facilitates improvement through trial-and-error procedures and allows for a reduction in stress and greater frustration tolerance [39]. The therapist can propose exercises through virtual reality that are expensive, difficult, or impossible to perform in conventional practice [55] such as planet exercise, which generates enthusiasm and increases motivation and adherence to treatment [54,55].…”