Video Game Rehabilitation

Did you know that video games can be useful tools to help you improve your cognitive skills? Our Neurorehabilitation Specialist works with rangatahi (aged 12-22) to improve strength, balance and coordination – all while playing a Nintendo Wii! Who knew neurorehabilitation could be so fun?

 What is neurorehabilitation?

Neurorehabilitation is a way to help improve your body awareness, muscle control and balance, so you have the confidence to do things that you enjoy. 

Because we want to support you to be as independent and confident as possible, we work with you to figure out what you want to achieve and what skills you’d like to develop. Then we use a range of techniques from Conductive Education, Video Game Therapy, music, and adaptive skills to help you retrain your brain to move in the best way for your body.

It’s about empowering you to achieve more in your life. 

How does it work?

Everyone has learned patterns of movement, and they’re all different. We all walk a little bit differently. But there are movement patterns that work best for your body to be strong, healthy, and balanced. Neurorehabilitation teaches your brain to use them.

One of the techniques we use is video game rehabilitation. As you play games on a Nintendo Wii, our Neurorehabilitation Specialist gives you cues to adjust your movements. These little changes to the way you move create neurological “feedback”, triggering the creation of new pathways in your brain.  As you practice, your brain will imprint this new pattern of movement, and it will become natural to you. It’s a way of rewriting what’s written deep in your brain.

Our Neurorehabilitation Specialist, Steven Balogh, is a trained Conductor. The philosophy of Conductive Education is holistic, whānau-focused and person-driven.  This means Steven works with you to find out what motivates you. You might be playing video games, working on a task series, or joining in with social activities; it’s all about supporting you to get out and do what you love.

Who is it for?

Neurorehabilitation is commonly used to treat stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions.

Our programme is especially for rangatahi (youth), aged 12-22, but we offer individually funded sessions for adults too. If you’d like to find out if this might be right for you, please get in touch.

Do I need a referral?

No. We’re open to whoever could benefit from our service. Our neurorehabilitation specialist will have a chat with you about what you want to achieve and whether our service will help you get there.