Chapter 11 - Fine motor skills and cognitive development using virtual reality-based games in children

Abstract

Fine motor skills are an integral part of everyday activities. Children with neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder, have problems with fine motor skills, social interaction, and communication. Such children need to repeat a skill to acquire it. Therapy is needed so that children can develop important life skills and be involved in academic activities. However, children need to undergo long sessions of therapy, which will be tedious for them. Physical therapy can therefore be made interactive and motivating by the use of virtual reality-based games. In this chapter, a virtual reality-based serious gaming platform is proposed for fine motor skills and cognitive development of children with special needs. The Unity3D-based virtual reality environment together with a Leap Motion Controller is used to design the rehabilitation games. The Leap Motion Controller with its gesture recognition ability can provide a cohesive platform to improve the life skills of special needs children. The proposed games are developed in such a way that they improve the pincer grasp, intellectual reasoning, and hand–eye coordination of children. More colorful and fun virtual reality games are developed to keep the children engaged for longer. The developed platform is cost effective, remotely accessible, personalized, and physically less painful. The proposed virtual reality game can also be used as an auxiliary tool along with traditional rehabilitation methods.