Using video-capture virtual reality for children with acquired brain injury

OBJECTIVE: To assess the use of a video-capture projected VR system for children with acquired brain injury (ABI), and to compare their performance to that of matched healthy controls. SUBJECTS: Thirty-three children (age range: 6-11.4 years) were divided into two groups: 17 children with ABI and 16 controls matched for age, gender and maternal education. METHODS: Participants experienced three video-captured virtual environments and completed the SFQ child at the end of each specific environment. Participants with ABI experienced three virtual reality (VR) sessions over a period of 10 days. Attention was evaluated using the TEA-Ch. Upper extremity motor abilities were evaluated with the Melbourne Assessment, and self-care abilities were evaluated with the PEDI. RESULTS: The video-capture projected system differentiated between the performance of children with ABI and control participants. There was a correlation between VR performance and some attention factors and self-care abilities. No significant correlations were found between performance in the Melbourne assessment and performance within VR. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the potential of the video-capture virtual reality as a tool in the rehabilitation process of children with ABI.