The Effect of a Video-Based Game Exercise Program on Motor Skills, Proprioception, and Cognitive Functions in Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities.
Elif Diril, Burak Menek, Ahmet Emir and 2 others
PMID 39949506WHAT IT FOUND
Adding video games to occupational therapy improved lower-body function and non-dominant shoulder position sense in adults with intellectual disabilities.
However, the groups were similar for most cognitive and fine motor measures, so the added benefit of games over standard therapy was limited.
Key findings
01The group receiving home-based video games plus supervised therapy plus occupational therapy performed better than the occupational therapy-only group on the sit-to-stand test and non-dominant shoulder proprioception.
02There were no significant differences between the groups for attention, reaction time, dominant-hand fine motor skills, or dominant-side shoulder proprioception.
03All three groups, including the one receiving only occupational therapy, showed significant improvements in most parameters from baseline to post-intervention.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study did not assess whether improvements translated to better quality of life or daily living activities. The intervention duration was only six weeks, so long-term effects are unknown. The sample size was small (15 per group), which may limit the detection of subtle differences between groups. The 'home-based' group had the highest dose of intervention (daily games plus supervised sessions), making it difficult to separate the effect of the home program from the supervised program or the increased total time spent.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The video game software was developed by Becure GmbH, but the text does not state that this company funded or designed the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that video games are necessary for cognitive or fine motor gains in this population. The occupational therapy-only group achieved similar improvements in attention and dominant-hand motor skills as the groups that also played video games.