Game improves balance in youth with autism

Brittany Travers, an investigator at the UW-Madison Waisman Center, works with a study participant playing a video game designed to help youth with autism improve their balance. The game may also help improve some of their autism-related symptoms. Photo: Andy Manis Playing a video game that rewards participants for holding various "ninja" poses could help children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) improve their balance, according to a recent study in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Balance challenges are more common among people with ASD compared to the broader population, says study lead author Brittany Travers , and difficulties with balance and postural stability are commonly thought to relate to more severe ASD symptoms and impaired activities in daily living. "We think this video game-based training could be a unique way to help individuals with ASD who have challenges with their balance address these issues," says Travers, an investigator at UW-Madison's Waisman Center and an assistant professor of kinesiology. In this pilot study - the largest ever to look at the effects of balance training on individuals with ASD - 29 participants between the ages of 7 and 17 with ASD completed a six-week training program playing a video game developed by the researchers. By the end of the program, study participants showed significant improvements in not only their in-game poses but also their balance and posture outside of the game environment.