Use of virtual reality intervention to improve reaction time in children with cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the training effects of Virtual Reality (VR) intervention program on reaction time in children with cerebral palsy. METHODS: Thirty boys ranging from 7 to 12 years (mean = 11.20; SD = .76) were selected by available sampling method and randomly divided into the experimental and control groups. Simple Reaction Time (SRT) and Discriminative Reaction Time (DRT) were measured at baseline and 1 day after completion of VR intervention. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and paired sample t-test were performed to analyze the results. RESULTS: MANOVA test revealed significant effects for group in posttest phase, with lower reaction time in both measures for the experimental group. Based on paired sample t-test results, both RT measures significantly improved in experimental group following the VR intervention program. CONCLUSIONS: This paper proposes VR as a promising tool into the rehabilitation process for improving reaction time in children with cerebral palsy.