Title
Novel Virtual Environment for Alternative Treatment of Children with Cerebral Palsy
Abstract
AbstractCerebral palsy is a severe condition usually caused by decreased brain oxygenation during pregnancy, at birth or soon after birth. Conventional treatments for cerebral palsy are often tiresome and expensive, leading patients to quit treatment. In this paper, we describe a virtual environment for patients to engage in a playful therapeutic game for neuropsychomotor rehabilitation, based on the experience of the occupational therapy program of the Nucleus for Integrated Medical Assistance (NAMI) at the University of Fortaleza, Brazil. Integration between patient and virtual environment occurs through the hand motion sensor Leap Motion,ý plus the electroencephalographic sensor MindWave,ý responsible for measuring attention levels during task execution. To evaluate the virtual environment, eight clinical experts on cerebral palsy were subjected to a questionnaire regarding the potential of the experimental virtual environment to promote cognitive and motor rehabilitation, as well as the potential of the treatment to enhance risks and/or negatively influence the patientýs development. Based on the very positive appraisal of the experts, we propose that the experimental virtual environment is a promising alternative tool for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy.
Year
DOI
Venue
2016
10.1155/2016/8984379
Periodicals
Field
DocType
Volume
Rehabilitation,Virtual machine,Leap motion,Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy,Physical therapy,Cerebral palsy,Psychology,Motion sensors,Cognition,Occupational therapy
Journal
2016
Issue
ISSN
Citations 
1
1687-5265
9
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.69
7
6