A performance comparison between exergames designed for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and commercially-available exergames

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have visual-motor coordination problems, which may affect their independence. Exergames, videogames that involve physical exertion, had been proven to support visual-motor coordination of individuals with ASD, as they can offer an interactive technological experience to engage them in different motor tasks. Several works show how exergames support individuals with ASD to practice visual-motor coordination exercises. Most of these works present exergames explicitly designed for individuals with ASD. However, works that compare exergames designed for ASD and commercially-available exergames are scarce. In this paper, we compared two exergames to support the visual-motor coordination of individuals with high-functioning ASD, the first one designed for individuals with ASD and the second one designed for neurorehabilitation. We found that both exergames sustained attention, elicited positive emotional expressions, and motivated participants to perform independent visual-motor coordination exercises (without physical assistance) at the same level. However, there was a difference in the aimed limb movements that participants performed (limb movements aimed at a visual target) with the exergame designed for ASD. Also, participants showed a better game and fun experience with the exergame designed for ASD than the other exergame. We close with a set of considerations for using commercially-available exergames for supporting the visual-motor coordination of individuals with ASD.