Effects of Virtual Reality Among Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder: An ICF-Based Randomized Controlled Study.

This randomized controlled trial asked whether adding virtual reality (VR) to conventional occupational therapy (COT) improves outcomes for children with developmental coordination disorder, a condition that affects motor planning and daily task performance. Forty-eight children aged 5 to 8 were randomly assigned to receive either VR plus COT or COT alone, both delivered twice weekly for 8 weeks (16 sessions total). Outcomes covered motor skills, executive function, sensory-perceptual processing, visual perception, and functional independence in daily activities. The VR-plus-COT group showed statistically significant improvements across all measured areas, with effect sizes described as large.

The COT-only group improved only in sensory-perceptual skills and activity levels, with no significant change in motor or cognitive skills. While this suggests VR combined with COT may offer broader benefits than COT alone, the abstract does not report blinding of outcome assessors beyond being single-blind overall, long-term follow-up, or adverse event monitoring, so durability and safety remain unclear.

If your child has developmental coordination disorder, a condition that makes coordinated movement and daily tasks harder, you may wonder whether newer tools like virtual reality could help alongside standard occupational therapy. This study looked at 48 children aged 5 to 8, splitting them into two groups: one received virtual reality games plus regular occupational therapy, and the other received only regular occupational therapy.

Both groups had therapy twice a week for 8 weeks. Children who received virtual reality alongside their regular therapy showed improvements in motor skills, thinking and planning skills, sensory processing, and their ability to manage daily activities. Children who received only regular therapy improved in sensory processing and daily activities, but did not show significant improvement in motor or thinking skills. This suggests that adding virtual reality might offer added benefits beyond standard therapy alone for some skills, though the study did not report how long these improvements lasted or whether any side effects occurred, so those questions remain open.

This is a summary of research, not medical advice. Talk to your own healthcare provider about anything affecting your care.

This single-blind RCT compared VR combined with conventional occupational therapy (COT) against COT alone in 48 children with DCD aged 5 to 8, across 16 sessions over 8 weeks. Outcome measures spanned motor skills (TGMD-2), executive function (CEFI), sensory-perceptual processing (SIPT), visual perception (MVPT-3), and functional independence (WeeFIM), aligning with an ICF framework covering body function and activity domains. The VR+COT group demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all five domains with large effect sizes (d > 0.8), while the COT-only group improved significantly only in sensory-perceptual skills and activity levels, with no significant change in motor or cognitive measures.

This between-group divergence suggests VR may add benefit beyond COT alone for motor and cognitive outcomes specifically, though the abstract does not detail blinding procedures for outcome assessors, allocation concealment, or whether therapists were blinded, limiting appraisal of bias risk. No follow-up period or adverse event data are reported, so conclusions about durability of gains or safety cannot be drawn. The single-center design and modest sample size also constrain generalizability of these findings.