Effect of Wii Fit training on visual perception and executive function in boys with developmental coordination disorders: A randomized controlled trial.
Thirty minutes of Wii Fit, three times a week, sharpens visual perception and executive function in elementary boys with coordination disorders.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers split boys with developmental coordination disorder into two groups. One group played Wii Fit games three times a week for 30 minutes. The other group kept their normal school schedule.
After eight weeks, the team tested visual perception and executive function in both groups.
What they found
The Wii Fit boys scored much higher on visual perception and executive function tests. The control group showed little change.
The games used balance boards and motion controls that forced the boys to plan moves and track shifting targets.
How this fits with other research
Carter et al. (2013) showed boys with DCD are far less active than peers. Ayoub’s team proves short, game-based movement can close part of that gap.
Green et al. (2020) ran an eight-week mindfulness program for kids with autism and also saw executive-function gains. Wii Fit gives the same benefit to a different diagnosis using active play instead of still breathing.
Rivilis et al. (2011) reviewed forty studies and warned that children with DCD have poor fitness across the board. The new RCT adds one practical tool—exergaming—that tackles both fitness and thinking skills at once.
Why it matters
You can add Wii Fit to your tool box tomorrow. No extra staff. No big space. One console, three short sessions a week, and you target coordination, perception, and executive function together. Perfect for indoor recess or a station rotation. Track data with simple pre-post visual-perception tests to show parents and teachers real change.
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Join Free →Borrow a Wii console, load Wii Fit, schedule three 30-minute balance-game blocks this week, and collect one baseline visual-perception score before the first session.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: This paper elucidated the influence of Wii Fit training on visual perception and executive function in boys with developmental coordination disorders (DCD). METHODS: 50 school boy with DCD (Mean Age = 9.55 ± 2.24) were randomly assigned to one of two groups, Wii Fit training (intervention; n = 25) or usual school program (control; n = 25). Visual perception and executive function were measured pre-, post- (8 weeks, 3 sessions per week, 30 minute per session), using Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) and Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills-Revised (TVPS-R), respectively. Pre- and post-test changes in executive function and visual perception were calculated using one-way ANCOVA, with pre-test values as covariate and post-test values as dependent variables. RESULTS: The findings show that the rates of change in total score of visual perception from pre to post were significantly different between groups (F(1, 47) = 660.76, P = 0.024). Similarly, intervention group showed significantly different rates of change in total score of executive function from pre to post (F (1, 47) = 26.15, P = 0.013). CONCLUSION: Findings support that when developing interventions for the improvement or management of visual perception and executive function in children with DCD, key stakeholders should include the Wii Fit training programs.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104196