Research participation requests are sent to the Stroke Association from external research institutions (e.g. universities and hospitals).
We conduct checks on these before promoting but are not involved in their running. This means we cannot comment on trials and have no affiliation with them.
Jack Evans, University of Exeter
Movement assessments are used to assess limb function and coordination for people with upper limb impairments and coordination difficulties, such as stroke survivors and people with Dyspraxia/DCD.
We are interested in whether Virtual Reality can create interesting, fun, and motivating assessment activities that can assess arm movement and coordination, and how they compare to the assessments used now.
We hope that this could lead to the creation of portable devices that can screen for impairments to arm function and coordination across a range of conditions like Stroke, Dyspraxia, and Cerebral Palsy.
What will it Involve?
The research involves completing some short movement assessments designed to check arm function. These tests are commonly used in practice.
You will also complete two different virtual reality tasks while we measure how you move their arms, eyes, and head.
This will be used to find interesting patterns in the way people with stroke move and how people with dyspraxia move. We will compare this with people without these conditions.
We are also interested in hearing feedback from our participants about their experience during the study, so we will also ask participants to complete a few short questionnaires about this.
Who can take part?
Inclusion Criteria:
All participants will undergo a telephone screening prior to coming to the University. We will assess inclusion criteria at this stage.
However, you must:
- have able vision (or corrected vision, e.g. glasses or contacts)
- have no injury or condition affecting your arm movement apart from DCD or Stroke
- be over the age of 18 and able to consent for yourself
The project will take place at the University of Exeter. So participants will need to be able to travel to the University’s St Lukes Campus.
There is some available parking on-site and in the surrounding area. We will aim to schedule a time that is best for the participant.
How Can I Register my Interest?
Please contact Jack Evans** je426@exeter.ac.uk **with your interest or any questions.