Estudo de um programa com realidade virtual na promoção do funcionamento executivo em crianças em idade escolar identificadas com dificuldades de aprendizagem: um ensaio controlado aleatorizado

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of a virtual reality program intervention to improving executive functioning in school-age children with learning disabilities. The study included 19 children of both genders aged between 6 and 10 years who attended a school in the municipality of Oeiras, randomly distributed into two groups, one control group and one experimental. Initially, a sociodemographic questionnaire was applied, a questionnaire for assessing specific behaviors related to executive functions was answered by parents/teachers/explainers and the TI-BAFEC test that assesses executive functions in children. The virtual reality program consisted of a scenario that included a virtual school where cognitive tasks were performed, with the aim of stimulating cognitive functions, such as memory, attention or reading, and executive ones, as planning or sequencing. After applying the program to the experimental group, the two groups were again evaluated with the questionnaire and the TI-BAFEC. Results showed a significant improvement in the experimental group, in seven of the eight dimensions of the questionnaire and in all descriptors of the TI-BAFEC, while there was no significant improvement in the control group, except for one descriptor of the TI-BAFEC. We concluded that the intervention with the virtual reality program was effective, with improvements in the behavior and performance of executive functions. These results were discussed according to the theoretical framework presented, while the limitations of this study were also discussed along with suggestions for future studies. Keywords: Executive functions, virtual reality, cognitive rehabilitation, learning disabilities.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	Portuguese
Supervisor	JORGE ALEXANDRE GASPAR OLIVEIRA (Supervisor) & PEDRO SANTOS PINTO GAMITO (Supervisor)