Bootle Blast: Understanding the Family Experience

Summary

One in 60 children have a physical disability that can impact activities and participation. Occupational and physical therapies can be of great benefit, but are costly and difficult to access. Working with children, parents and clinicians, the investigators developed a mixed reality video game, Bootle Blast, which children can play to develop motor skills. Using a 3D sensor, Bootle Blast tracks movements and manipulation of real-life objects. Since 2017, Bootle Blast has been used in clinics by Holland Bloorview, Canada's largest children's rehabilitation hospital. Home use of Bootle Blast has resulted in positive clinical outcomes for children with cerebral palsy. Bootle Blast is not yet commercially available and has yet to be trialed in "real-world" contexts.

To understand real-world implementation, Bootle Blast will be trialed for 14 weeks in the homes of 60 young people (6 to 17 years) with any motor condition that could be addressed by the Bootle Blast system, regardless of their diagnosis. The investigators will assess feasibility (e.g. independent home setup, ability to set/meet self-directed play time goals), enablers/barriers to use, and perceived value. User experience will inform product, training and resource development. The research team combines expertise in engineering design, medicine, physiotherapy, qualitative methods, commercialization, knowledge translation, and includes young people with lived experience.

Conditions

• Cerebral Palsy
• Developmental Coordination Disorder
• Developmental Disability
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Stroke
• Acquired Brain Injury
• Motor Skills Disorders

Interventions

DEVICE

Bootle Blast Play Phase (B)

Bootle Blast will be trialed for 14 weeks in the homes of 60 young people (6 to 17 years) with any motor condition that could be addressed by the Bootle Blast system, regardless of their diagnosis. The investigators will assess feasibility (e.g. independent home setup, ability to set/meet self-directed play time goals), enablers/barriers to use, and perceived value. During the 8-week intervention phase (B), children will have Bootle Blast at home and play it according to their family-directed playtime goals. Weekly logs of therapy activities and problems encountered while playing will be collected through survey links. Additionally, families will record a video of their child performing the tasks associated with their COPM goals on a weekly basis. After the 8-week intervention (B) phase, participants will enter a second 3-week baseline (A) phase, during which they'll be asked to stop playing Bootle Blast, and the game will be programmatically locked to prevent further play.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Elaine Biddiss, PhD · Bloorview Research Institute

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

SEQUENTIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-07-07

Primary Completion

2024-12-31

Completion

2024-12-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations