title: Role of virtual reality for cerebral palsy management.
abstract: Virtual reality is the use of interactive simulations to present users with opportunities to perform in virtual environments that appear, sound, and less frequently, feel similar to real-world objects and events. Interactive computer play refers to the use of a game where a child interacts and plays with virtual objects in a computer-generated environment. Because of their distinctive attributes that provide ecologically realistic and motivating opportunities for active learning, these technologies have been used in pediatric rehabilitation over the past 15 years. The ability of virtual reality to create opportunities for active repetitive motor/sensory practice adds to their potential for neuroplasticity and learning in individuals with neurologic disorders. The objectives of this article is to provide an overview of how virtual reality and gaming are used clinically, to present the results of several example studies that demonstrate their use in research, and to briefly remark on future developments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel tamar@research.haifa.ac.il.
authors.forename: Patrice L Tamar
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: The Hannah Khoushy Child Development Center, Bnai Zion Medical Center, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Emanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tirosh
authors.affiliation: Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Darcy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fehlings
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D063367:Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy / Q000379:methods*
keywords: autonomic nervous system; cerebral palsy; exergaming; video gaming; virtual reality