Virtual reality as a telerehabilitation strategy for people with autism spectrum disorder during the COVID-19 quarantine scenario: physical activity, motor performance and enjoyment.
Amanda Figueiredo Santos de Almeida, Talita Dias da Silva, Íbis Ariana Peña de Moraes and 10 others
PMID 37695272WHAT IT FOUND
A short home-based virtual reality game session improved motor timing accuracy and raised physical activity intensity to moderate levels for children with autism.
Most participants found the game fun. This shows the game is feasible for telerehabilitation but does not prove it improves long-term health or daily skills.
Key findings
01Children with autism showed significant improvement in motor timing accuracy (reduced absolute error) across three practice matches, moving from a mean of 1868 ms in the first match to 824 ms in the final match.
02Participants reported increased physical exertion during the session, rising from very light to moderate intensity levels, with no significant difference in exertion between the autism and non-autism groups.
03The majority of participants in both groups rated the game as 'fun' or 'very fun', with 59.5% of the autism group and 91% of the non-autism group reporting this level of enjoyment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study design was cross-sectional and focused on feasibility, not efficacy. It did not include a control group receiving no intervention or a different intervention, so it cannot determine if the game caused the improvements compared to other activities. The intervention was very short (one day of practice, three matches). It does not provide evidence for the effects of a sustained telerehabilitation program. The sample size was small (22 per group), and the study was underpowered for some secondary outcomes. Mood results were mixed for the autism group, showing both positive (vigour) and negative (anger, fatigue) changes, which complicates the interpretation of the emotional impact. The study did not assess long-term retention of motor skills or transfer to real-world activities. Participants were recruited from a specific clinic in Brazil, which may limit generalisability to other populations or settings.
Declared interests
The study was funded by several Brazilian research agencies (CAPES, CNPq, FAPESP) and the NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre. The authors declared no conflicts of interest related to the MoveHero platform, which was used for free.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the improved motor scores as evidence that VR games treat autism or improve daily living skills. The study only tested a single, short session and measured performance on the game itself, not on functional tasks outside the game. The improvements may reflect practice effects from repeated exposure to the same task rather than a therapeutic benefit.