logo
logo
  • Online Library
    • Projects
    • Companies
  • Congress
    • Programme
    • Speakers
    • Committees
    • Tickets
    • General information
    • Sponsors
    • Poster Presentation Guidelines
  • Members
    • Catch a Rising Star
    • Student Exchange
    • Community Request
  • News
    • XR4REHAB Community Request
    • Newsletter Advertisement
    • Events Calendar
  • Webinars
    • Co-production of a Virtual Reality Game for MS patients
    • Seize the Moment: XR Transforming Neuro Rehab!
    • The use of VR in acute orthopaedic trauma: challenges and opportunities
    • Implementation of Neuro Rehabilitation OnLine
    • Medical Device Regulation Webinar
    • VR4LongCovid Session
    • VR4LongCovid: The breathtaking results
  • Podcasts
  • Forum
  • About us
    • Website
    • Partners
    • Blueprint
    • Contact
  1. Home
  2. VR4REHAB-03

Device use during teletherapy sessions for children with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: Parent perspectives

Danielle E. Levac(1), Cydney Greenberg(1), Kayla Pinzur(1), Erica Richard(1), and Kristen Allison(2)
(1)Rehabilitation Games & Virtual Reality Lab, Department of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences,
Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
(2)Speech and Motor Impairment Lab, Department of Communication Sciences
and Disorders, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

 

Introduction

The first 90 days of the COVID-19 pandemic (March – June 2020) caused widespread therapy service disruptions for children with disabilities and their families. Many services switched to a telehealth delivery model. Little is known about how therapists and families used devices (such as smartphones,
computers, active video games, tablets, and virtual reality headsets) for therapy purposes during this time. This study compares device use during therapy service delivery pre- and during the pandemic
and describes parent perspectives about benefits and challenges of device use for therapy purposes.

Methods

We undertook an IRB-approved anonymous online survey of parents of children aged 5-18 years with a disability, recruited using social media. Descriptive statistics and conventional qualitative analysis
summarized the data. 406 parents participated.

Results and discussion

Families had children primarily aged 5-9 (57%) years. Diagnoses included developmental delay (36%), autism (31%), cerebral palsy (20%), and/or other disabilities (48%). 42% of children lost access to all therapy services between March-June 2020, while 55% of children received at least one therapy service via telehealth. The majority (84%) of these participants had access to at least 1 device for therapeutic purposes, of which computers were the most frequently utilized (Figure 1). There was a slight reduction in the number of children using active video games for therapy pre- as compared to
during the pandemic (11.3% vs 9.2%). No respondents used virtual reality headsets for telehealth therapy purposes during the pandemic. Neither device cost nor lack of therapist support for device use were cited by parents as significant barriers or facilitators to device use. Most (75%) parents perceived teletherapy services as less effective than in-person. Parents who found teletherapy effective reported that their child thrived in small groups or individual interactions. Disadvantages of
teletherapy included challenges maintaining child focus and the lack of hands-on therapeutic support. Parents stated that
device use was beneficial to support specific skill development but were challenged by low ease of use and worries about their
child’s increasing dependence on devices. Participants who used active video games wanted more variation in games to sustain
children’s motivation to participate in therapy.

Figure 1: Change in device use for therapy purposes pre- compared to during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

Device use in teletherapy presented both benefits and challenges for parents of children with disabilities. While the lack of therapist perspectives on device use is a study limitation, our findings have implications for the creation of educational supports around teletherapy for families.

Navigation

Publications

News

Congress

Partners

About

Contact

Event 2025

Program

Guest speakers

Tickets

More information

Partners

EuroXR

Games Solutions Lab

Sint Maartenskliniek

Teesside University

All partners

Tickets available

Tickets for the XR4REHAB Conference 2025 are available now!

Get tickets

© 2025 XR4REHAB

Privacy Policy

Event 2025

Program

Guest speakers

Tickets

More information

Tickets available

Tickets for our 2023 XR4REHAB congress are available now!

Tickets

© 2023 XR4REHAB

Privacy Policy

We use cookies

XR4REHAB uses cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience and to measure your interactions with our websites, products and services. If you're okay with that, click "Accept". To restrict data sharing, click on "Cookie settings". You can always change your settings. See our privacy policy for our privacy statement and cookie policy.
Cookie settings
Accept

Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Stay connected

Want to make sure you have the latest information about VR4REHAB? Subscribe to our newsletter.

Enter your email address