The effect of a virtual reality exergame on motor skills and physical activity levels of children with a developmental disability

Background: It is well documented that regular physical activity (PA) participation improves physical functions of children with a developmental disability (DD). Researchers have begun to pay attention to virtual reality (VR) based PA programs, but there is a lack of research evidence.Aim: We aimed to examine the effect of a VR-based PA program on motor skills and PA levels in children with DD.Methods and procedures: Twenty-three children with DD were randomly assigned to an experi-mental and a control group. The intervention was conducted for 24 sessions, 40 min each, and twice a week. Each participant rode a stationary bike with a cadence sensor wearing a VR headset. TGMD-3 and a GENEActiv accelerometer were used to measure motor skills and PA levels one week before and after the intervention.Outcomes and results: Children in the experimental group showed a significant increase in loco -motor skills. Ball skills also increased but did not have significant differences. For PA levels, both groups did not have significant increase after the intervention.Conclusions and implications: A VR-based PA program was effective in improving locomotor skills among children with DD. To significantly change ball skills and PA levels of children with DD, VR-based PA program mixed with reality-based PA program is probably necessary.