Games 'help cerebral palsy young'

9 July 2008 04:14pm

Games console the Nintendo Wii may hold unexpected benefits for young cerebral palsy sufferers.

A new research project set up in Newcastle has encouraged children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy to play specially-written computer games, in order to improve muscle movement and hand-eye co-ordination in a fun way.

Around one in 1,000 children suffers from hemiplegia - a type of cerebral palsy that affects one arm and one leg on the same side of the body. The new games have been designed to improve these children's control of their disabled - or paretic - arm.

Ten children and their families in the North East have been trying out the games over the past three months with "striking" results, according to the scientists involved.

Professor Janet Eyre, leading the research, explained that children with hemiplegia find it difficult to use what she calls their "never learnt to use arm."

"The children find it very hard to move this arm so it gets stiffer and stiffer. These games mean you have to use two hands co-operatively and we have designed the games so there is quite a lot of eye movement... We're trying to use the knowledge we have to create games which are fun to play."

Prof Eyre, of Newcastle University's Institute of Neuroscience, said one of the games involved exploding balloons, with one hand targeting while the other hand fires the gun.

"The graphics are quite simple to follow. They're designed to be fun and very competitive."

Children trying out the games have been given both Nintendo Wii controllers and a laptop with games adapted to suit their specific needs, which are less fast-paced and complex than commercial versions.

Two games have been tested so far, using funding from the Children's Foundation charity, and a third is about to be developed.

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