The Effect of Playstation 2-Eye Toy Play on Upper Extremity Motor Functions and Functional Independence in Children with Hemiparetic Cerebral Palsy: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Playstation 2-Eye Toy Play on upper extremity motor functions and functional independence in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy. Methods: The study included 30 children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy with an average age of 9.8±2.3 years. Children were randomly assigned to the two groups. Group 1 received traditional therapy and Playstation 2-Eye Toy Play, and group 2 received only traditional therapy for 2 days a week. Bruininks- Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Short Form (BOT2-SF), Fugl-Meyer Motor Function Assessment (FMA), and Pediatric Functional Independence Measure (Wee-FIM) were used for the evaluation of both groups before and after the training. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the FMA (all sub-parameters and total score), Wee-FIM (self-care, locomotion, communication and total score) and BOT2-SF (all score) after training compared to before in the group 1 (p=0.00-0.02). In the group 2, it was found that the difference in FMA (hand, coordination and total score) and Wee-FIM (self-care, transfer, locomotion, and total score) were statistically significant (p=0.00-0.02). When the results between the groups were compared after training, it was found that the increase in only manual coordination and speed measurements of FMA was statistically significant in favor of the group 1 (p=0.00 and 0.01). Conclusion: because of this study, it is concluded that virtual reality applications performed in addition to conventional training have a positive effect, especially on coordination and speed with manual functions in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy.