Is active video gaming associated with improvements in social behaviors in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic review

Active video gaming (AVG) is a way that children with neurodevelopmental disorders can participate in social play and could be associated with improvements in social behaviors. However, limited research has investigated if AVG is associated with improvements in social behaviors in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders. A systematic literature search was conducted in Medline, Embase, Psycinfo, Cinahl, and Eric, Web of Science, and Scopus. Three main concepts were searched: exergaming, neurodevelopmental disorders, and social behaviors. Keywords and subject headings were used for each concept. 3080 articles were identified in the initial search in 2019; in January 2021, 167 additional articles were identified. Of these, 8 studies with 242 children with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, or developmental coordination disorder were included in this review. Six studies reported that participation in AVG was associated with improved social functioning, social interaction, emotional well-being, and social/emotional skills in children with ASD, CP, and DCD. In contrast, two studies that included children diagnosed with ASD did not find any association between AVG participation and social behaviors. The findings of this systematic review suggest that participation in an AVG intervention may be associated with improved social behaviors in children and adolescents with ASD, CP, and DCD. However, due to the limited number of studies included, this finding must be interpreted with caution. Future research is needed that examines the treatment fidelity of AVG in improving social behavior skills in children with neurodevelopmental disorders and the generalizability of these skills to real-life social situations.