Feasibility, Acceptability and Tolerability of an Augmented Reality Gaming Intervention for Children With and Without Movement Impairments

Aims: To explore the feasibility, acceptability, and tolerability of an augmented reality intervention for children with and without movement impairments. Preliminary mechanisms of effect for motor learning were also assessed. 

Methods: This non-randomized feasibility study included 33 participants between the ages of six and twelve (mean age 9.54, SD 1.60), with a range of motor abilities. Experimental sessions comprised of i) the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd Edition assessment, ii) a testing session with Intervention X, and iii) a questionnaire examining their experience. A supporting clinician who observed all sessions provided feedback on the delivery of Intervention X. 

Results: Participants spent 895 min playing Intervention X. Most participants (92.2%) reported they had ‘fun’ using the intervention, and they would play at home (84.2%), and with friends (86.1%). Disengagement occurred in 16.7% of participants. Intervention X demonstrated evidence of a potential mechanism of effect for motor learning principles. 

Conclusion: Intervention X was feasible, acceptable, and tolerable for children across a range of motor abilities in a school and clinic environment, supporting potential therapeutic benefits. Future studies should provide rigorous testing with children with movement impairments, such as developmental coordination disorder, to determine the long-term effectiveness of Intervention X.