Effectiveness of Serious Game on Cognitive and Motor Functions in Children and Adults with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Authors

    Hossein Mafi Department of Behavior and cognitive sciences in sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran
    Mahboubeh Ghayour Najafabadi * Department of Behavior and cognitive sciences in sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran m.ghayournaj@ut.ac.ir
    Mahmoud Sheikh Department of Behavior and cognitive sciences in sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran
    Hassan Gharayagh Zandi Department of Behavior and cognitive sciences in sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran

Keywords:

serious game, cognitive functions, motor functions, Children and adults, neurodevelopmental disorders

Abstract

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are increasingly being recognized as a leading cause of morbidity in children, causing great suffering for patients and their families and large costs for society and prompting considerable interest in its management. Numerous methods of treating NDDs have been put out in recent decades in an effort to improve their treatment. Although pharmacological treatments are the most successful, it is more crucial to create alternative therapies due to their side effects and unclear long-term usefulness. Game-based treatment offers self-paced, individualized learning and portability. Objective: The purpose of this study is to look at the most recent data about the benefits of serious games for both adults and children with neurodevelopmental problems in terms of their cognitive and motor abilities. Methods: To find research evaluating the efficacy of serious games in children and adults with neurodevelopmental problems, a thorough literature search was carried out in the PubMed /MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar and Science Direct databases. Results: Ten pertinent research involving neurodevelopmental problems and serious gaming were found. Three research looked at how serious games affected the cognitive and motor abilities of adults with NDDs, while seven studies looked at how serious games affected the cognitive and motor abilities of children with NDDs. Conclusion: Serious games appear to improve the severity of cognitive and motor functions in children and adults with NDDs. But given the limitations of the available data, such as methodological flaws and the wide variation in adult methods used, it is crucial to elucidate their efficacy in further research.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Morris-Rosendahl DJ, Crocq M-A. Neurodevelopmental disorders—the history and future of a diagnostic concept Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. 2020;22(1):65-72. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2020.22.1/macrocq.

2. Qian K, Suarez GO, Nambara T, Kanekiyo T, Liao AS, Webster-Wood VA, et al. Neurodevelopmental disorders modeling using isogeometric analysis, dynamic domain expansion and local refinement. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering. 2025;433:117534-. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cma.2024.117534.

3. Li Y-W, Tu S-X, Li Z-X, Ding Y-Q, Hu L. Manifold functions of Mediator complex in neurodevelopmental disorders. Neurobiology of Disease. 2025;210:106913-. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106913.

4. Höglund LC, Jakobsson U, Sivberg B, Lundqvist P. Encountering children with suspected neurodevelopmental disorders in Child Health Services: Swedish nurses' experiences. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 2025;81:e9-e15. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2025.01.001.

5. Zhang T, Zhou X, Li X, Wang Y, Fan Q, Liang J, et al. Noninvasive brain–computer interfaces for children with neurodevelopmental disorders: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. Displays. 2025;86:102886-. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.displa.2024.102886.

6. Ren X, Wu Q, Cui N, Zhao J, Bi H-Y. Effectiveness of digital game-based trainings in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: A meta-analysis. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 2023;133:104418-. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104418.

7. Ben Itzhak N, Franki I, Jansen B, Kostkova K, Wagemans J, Ortibus E. An individualized and adaptive game-based therapy for cerebral visual impairment: Design, development, and evaluation. Int J of Child-Computer Interaction. 2022;31:100437-. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.100437.

8. Vonthron F, Yuen A, Pellerin H, Cohen D, Grossard C. A Serious Game to Train Rhythmic Abilities in Children With Dyslexia: Feasibility and Usability Study. JMIR Serious Games. 2024;12. doi: https://doi.org/10.2196/42733.

9. De Gloria A, Bellotti F, Berta R. Serious Games for education and training. International J of Serious Games. 2014;1. doi: 10.17083/ijsg.v1i1.11.

10. Kanitkar A, Szturm T, Parmar S, Gandhi DBC, Rempel GR, Restall G, et al. The Effectiveness of a Computer Game-Based Rehabilitation Platform for Children With Cerebral Palsy: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial. JMIR Research Protocols. 2017;6(5). doi: https://doi.org/10.2196/resprot.6846.

11. Maher C, Sherrington C, Herbert R, Moseley A, Elkins M. Maher CG, Sherrington C, Herbert RD, Moseley AM, Elkins M. Reliability of the PEDro scale for rating quality of randomized controlled trials. Physical therapy. 2003;83:713-21.

12. Crosbie J, Bedard A-C. 22.2 MegaTeam: RCT of a Video Game–Based Cognitive Intervention Targeting Executive Functions in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs). J of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2023;62(10, Supplement):S358-S. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2023.07.743.

13. Toki EI, Tsoulos IG, Santamato V, Pange J. Machine Learning for Predicting Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children. Applied Sciences [Internet]. 2024; 14(2).

14. Hutson J, McGinley C. Neuroaffirmative Approaches to Extended Reality: Empowering Individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition through Immersive Learning Environments. Int J of Technology in Education. 2023;7:300-14. doi: 10.46328/ijtes.499.

15. Robb N, Northridge J, Politis Y, Zhang B. Parental Intention to Support the Use of Computerized Cognitive Training for Children With Genetic Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Frontiers in Public Health. 2018;Volume 6 - 2018.

16. Rouhi A, Catania F, Cosentino G, Gelsomini M, Spitale M. Emotify: Emotional Game for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder based-on Machine Learning2019 2019/2//.

17. Gelsomini M, Spitale M, Garzotto F. Phygital interfaces for people with intellectual disability: an exploratory study at a social care center. Multimedia Tools and Applications. 2021;80(26):34843-74. doi: 10.1007/s11042-021-11164-9.

18. Löytömäki J, Ohtonen P, Huttunen K. Serious game the Emotion Detectives helps to improve social–emotional skills of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. British J of Educational Technology. 2024;55(3):1126-44. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13420.

19. Stewart S, Houghton SJ, Macqueen L. Addressing Cognitive Bias in Adolescents with Neurodevelopmental Disorders Using 3-D Animated Serious Games. Pediatric Reports. 2025;17(2). doi: 10.3390/pediatric17020028.

20. Fridenson-Hayo S, Berggren S, Lassalle A, Tal S, Pigat D, Meir N, et al. 'Emotiplay': a serious game for learning about emotions in children with autism: results of a cross-cultural evaluation. European child & adolescent psychiatry. 2017;26. doi: 10.1007/s00787-017-0968-0.

21. Ghayour Najafabadi M, Saghaei B, Shariat A, Ingle L, Babazadeh-Zavieh SS, Shojaei M, et al. Validity and reliability of the movement assessment battery second edition test in children with and without motor impairment: A prospective cohort study. Annals of medicine and surgery. 2022;77.

Downloads

Published

2025-09-01

Submitted

0846-10-13

Revised

2025-08-14

Accepted

2025-08-24

How to Cite

Mafi, H., Ghayour Najafabadi, M., Sheikh, M., & Gharayagh Zandi, H. (2025). Effectiveness of Serious Game on Cognitive and Motor Functions in Children and Adults with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Game Nexus, 2(3), 1-10. https://game-nexus.org/index.php/gamenexus/article/view/28