The Usage of Videogame as a Physiotherapeutic Intervention in Individuals with Down Syndrome

Abstract

Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disease which has a set of characteristics that result in delays of basic motor skills. Physiotherapy aims to reduce delays in gross and fine motor skills. It also aims to prevent joint instabilities and deformities of the bones. A feature that has drawn the attention of therapists includes virtual reality as a method of rehabilitation. The goal of this study is to analyze the degree of effectiveness of the usage of the game in the rehabilitation of patients with Down syndrome. We have selected five volunteer students; on the attendances, we use Nintendo Wii and Wii Sports CD, which contains tennis, bowling, boxing, baseball and golf games. In addition to, the assessments were executed at the first and at the last attendances for comparison of results. The results were individually placed into charts, and it could be remarkable the evolution of the aspects was evaluated. We conclude that virtual reality, as an additional treatment, is interactive, playful and serves as an additional motivation for physical therapy appointments, and it gives the therapists an extra tool to assess and to acquire skills. We suggest further studies with a higher number of participants to give statistically meaning results regarding the use of videogame in therapies.