Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) often need regular clinic visits for assessments, therapy and follow-ups to support their movement and daily activities. While these appointments are essential, they can place a burden on families—frequent visits can disrupt a child’s school and extracurricular routines, while parents must juggle work, scheduling conflicts, and financial costs. The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated access to care, adding even more disruptions to an already complex system. In some cases, these barriers may prevent children from getting the care they need.
But what if therapy could meet children where they are—in the comfort of their own homes, embedded within the very act of play? This is the guiding principle behind CP-NET’s Gaming Phase 4 initiative: to leverage gamified digital health interventions to provide rehabilitation and monitoring/assessment at home. Research teams contributing to this initiative include the Possibility Engineering and Research Lab (PEARL) within the Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Their work has led to the development of Bootle Blast and Bootle Boot Camp, two interactive movement-tracking systems that provide a more game-like experience for children practicing upper and lower limb therapies at home, while simultaneously recording data on their movement.
During the first phase of this initiative (Years 1 & 2), researchers created digital versions of standard motor assessments that could be integrated into games. Using built-in 3D motion sensors and cameras, the system also logs speed, accuracy, range of motion, and coordination as children move their arms, hands, or legs to play the game. This allows for tracking changes in motor performance over time. Now, as the project enters its next phase (Years 2 & 3), the focus will shift towards further validating these measures and trialing these tools in clinical care and homes. We will be recruiting children with CP to participate in research studies using game-based therapy as part of their rehabilitation. Clinicians can review gameplay data remotely and identify trends, progress, or areas where a child may need additional support. Researchers will then evaluate how these tools performed in the home setting, measuring engagement, accuracy, and clinical effectiveness. The feedback gathered from children, families, and therapists will guide further refinements, ensuring these tools can be smoothly integrated into rehabilitation programs. Improvements will focus on game mechanics, tracking precision, and clinical implementation before they become more widely available.
By bringing rehabilitation into the home, this initiative is reshaping how therapy is delivered—making it more engaging for children, more informative for clinicians, and more accessible for families.