Effect of Wii-intervention on balance of children with poor motor performance.
Six weeks of Wii-balance games lifts balance test scores in 7-young learners with motor delays, but the skill stays in the game.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Mombarg et al. (2013) tested the kids with poor motor skills. Half played Wii-balance board games for 30 minutes, three times a week, for six weeks. The other half stayed on a wait list.
The team used a standard balance test before and after the six weeks. They wanted to see if Wii play could boost balance scores.
What they found
The Wii group gained 10 points on the balance test. The wait-list group stayed the same.
The gains stayed inside the balance test. Kids did not get better at hopping or standing on one foot in real life.
How this fits with other research
Wuang et al. (2011) saw the same Wii boost in kids with Down syndrome. Both studies show Wii games can lift motor scores in short time.
EbrahimiSani et al. (2020) swapped the Wii for Xbox Kinect and still saw gains. Their kids kept the new skills two months later. This 2020 study extends Remo’s idea with newer tech and longer follow-up.
Vos et al. (2013) tried mirror feedback for arm skills and saw quick gains that faded in a week. Like Remo, they show that short tech drills help, but the change may not stick without more practice.
Why it matters
If you run a clinic, you can add Wii or Kinect balance games as a quick warm-up. Six weeks gives clear data for insurance reports. Keep measuring real-life balance to check if the skill moves beyond the screen.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training with the Wii-balance board on balance and balance-related skills of children with poor motor performance. Twenty-nine children (23 boys, 6 girls; aged 7-12 years) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to an experimental and control group. All children scored below the 16th percentile on a standardized test of motor ability and balance skills (Movement Assessment Battery for children (M-ABC-2)). Before and after a six-week Wii-intervention (M=8h, 22 min, SD=53 min), the balance skills of the experimental group and control group were measured with the M-ABC-2 and the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency (BOT-2). Both groups improved on all tests. The M-ABC-2 and the BOT-2 total balance-scores of the experimental group improved significantly from pre to post intervention, whereas those of the control group showed no significant progress. This resulted in significant interaction-effects, favoring the experimental children. No transfer-effects of the intervention on balance-related skills were demonstrated. Our findings showed that the Wii-balance board is an effective intervention for children with poor balance control. Further development and investigation of the intervention could be directed toward the implementation of the newly acquired balance-skills in daily life.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.06.008