The design principles of edutainment system for autistic children with communication difficulties

The number of children with autism is increasing worldwide. Children with autism face three major problems; socializing, communicating, and behaviour. Approximately 50% of all individuals with autism have difficulties in developing functional language owing to communication deterioration. Mobile devices with installed educational games help these individuals feel more comfortable and relaxed doing such activities. Although numerous mobile applications are available for individuals with autism, they are difficult to use; particularly in terms of user-interface design. This study analysed the existing apps in order to determine the design principles applicable to the Edutainment App being studied. Five applications were involved in this analysis. As outlined in the objectives of this study, identifying these design principles is important in designing the app. The analysis identified fifteen suggestions for the design principles. These suggestions addressed, simple interfaces; image size; number of pictures; home page icon; colour; having images identical to real life objects; the use of caregivers; navigation; password-protection; audio appropriate to the images; the app language used; evaluating parameters to measure the child’s growth; option for photo loading; PECS-based communication; and sentence pronunciation function. These recommendations are offered by this study towards designing and developing a prototype app for autistic children. This study introduces an edutainment-system design principle formulated to help develop the communication skills of children with autism-spectrum disorders. This study also describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of the ICanTalk app-a mobile edutainment app that can be used to improve users’ understanding and communication skills and help them to connect with society and the surrounding environment particularly for autistic children with communication difficulties. This app allows caregivers to create personalized content using pictures and audio on their mobile devices (tablets). The evaluation of the app by teachers suggests that it is useful and easy-to-use. In conclusion, based on the evaluation results, it is found that the ICanTalk app is effective in helping autistic children with communication difficultie

CorpOperatio: Game-inspired App for Encouraging Outdoor Physical Activity for People with Intellectual Disabilities

This thesis presents a serious mobile exergame for people with intellectual disabilities, to help people with intellectual disability be more physically active. Exergames are games with the purpose of physically engaging the user in the gameplay, and intervenes with sedentariness and repetitive behavior. The game is based around the use of augmented reality, which is described as bringing 3D virtual objects into a 3D real environment in real time. As the field of physical activity in people with intellectual disabilities is a low-research field, the project aims to create a technical solution to them improve their physical health. There are few solutions tailored for people with intellectual disabilities to aid in physical exercise, something we wanted to change. A physical activity mobile game was created using the Unity game engine and augmented reality. Requirements and design choices came through literature review, reference meetings and meetings with professional psychologists. The game was tested by intellectually disabled users in a controlled, randomized trial over the course of four days, with interviews after testing to get results. While evaluation of the application rvealed areas of potential improvement, the application is already usable for people with intellectual disabilities. Augmented reality proved to be challenging to understand initially, but also fun, once the concept was understood. We have created an application for encouraging physical activity for people with intellectual disabilities. The application shows promise, but also improvement points for it to be deployed to the public market

Sorterius: Game-inspired App for Encouraging Outdoor Physical Activity for People with Intellectual Disabilities

People with intellectual disabilities have difficulties in reaching the World Health Organization's (WHO) suggested level of physical activity. Previous research shows that participating in physical activities often is related to self-efficacy in a physical activity setting and personal motivation. As physical activity has significant effects on physical and mental health, this thesis aimed to develop a mobile application that could help people with intellectual disabilities be more physically active. In the process of creating an encouraging and user-friendly mobile application, this project includes literature reviews, meetings with experts in the field, discussions with special education teachers and teachers working with people with intellectual disability, and the author's own experience with this user group. The project relies on guidelines and theory to create a user interface to fit people with intellectual disabilities. This thesis presents a cross-platform mobile application that combines the digital and real world. Using augmented reality, players walk around in the real world looking after digital garbage. As they walk, they will find garbage on the ground and get the option of sorting the garbage in the correct garbage bins. The game's main objective is to look for garbage and throw it in the correct garbage bin. As users progress throughout the game, they earn stars based on their step count while playing the game. Together with family members or assistants, they can add weekly physical activity goals and earn special rewards created by family members or assistants. Usability testing is mainly done on special education teachers, social workers, psychologist, and researchers working with people with intellectual disabilities. It revealed that creating a mobile application focusing on everyday life scenarios can have a potential value for the targeted user group. However, testing also showed that using augmented reality can be challenging. Long-term testing on individuals with an intellectual disability will start in the upcoming weeks in a study conducted by the University Hospital of North Norway (UNN), in collaboration with UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Emerging issues and current trends in assistive technology use 2007-1010: practising, assisting and enabling learning for all

Following an earlier review in 2007, a further review of the academic literature relating to the uses of assistive technology (AT) by children and young people was completed, covering the period 2007-2011. As in the earlier review, a tripartite taxonomy: technology uses to train or practise, technology uses to assist learning and technology uses to enable learning, was used in order to structure the findings. The key markers for research in this field and during these three years were user involvement, AT on mobile mainstream devices, the visibility of AT, technology for interaction and collaboration, new and developing interfaces and inclusive design principles. The paper concludes by locating these developments within the broader framework of the Digital Divide

UTILIZZO DEI SERIOUS GAMES NEL CAMPO DELL’EDUCAZIONE E DELLA DIDATTICA: APPLICAZIONI CONTEMPORANEE NEI SETTORI DELLA VITA SOCIALE EDUCATIONAL AND DIDACTIC USE OF SERIOUS GAMES: APPLICATIONS IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL LIFE SETTINGS

The introductory part of this article will focus on defining the methodological characteristics of the use of serious games (SGs) in education and training. Recently, these educational technologies, as well as digital games, have been used to allow students and professionals to acquire soft skills using a playful, competitive and interactive approach. In the second part of the paper, we will analyze how serious games are used in social life settings to promote inclusiveness and communication skills in subjects predisposed to experiencing exclusion and isolation. In the final part, future perspectives will be discussed and described

The potential of Serious Games to foster learning among children and adolescents with disabilities: A systematic review

Serious Games for children and adolescents with disabilities can enhance their learning and respond to their needs in an inclusive educational setting. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the potential of Serious Games for children and young people with disabilities, thereby providing an overview of effective Serious Games for schools and practitioners in the field of inclusive education. For this purpose, a systematic review of empirical literature found in the database Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC) was conducted, applying a qualitative content analysis. Findings from the 21 reviewed quantitative and qualitative studies indicate that Serious Games provide effective support for achieving learning objectives in certain school subjects and facilitate optimal conditions for learning. We found that Serious Games have strong potential and can make an important contribution to the inclusion of children and adolescents with disabilities in school

Mobile learning and games in special education

Information technology is now a ubiquitous presence in all educational settings as well as places in which people work. While most mainstream schools now rely heavily on this technology to support learning, special education was often at the forefront of its adoption even acting as exemplars for mainstream education (Lilley, 2004). Educational virtual environments had been developed in special schools and adult training centres when virtual reality was still a novel technology in education (Standen & Brown, 2004; 2005; 2006). Now no school or educational setting would be imagined without information technology and there have been some exciting developments since those early pioneering days. In this chapter we intend to cover three of those which we think are particularly pertinent for learners with special needs: serious games, mobile computing and the role of users in the development of the technology

Empowering children with ASD and their parents : design of a serious game for anxiety and stress reduction

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by social interaction difficulties and communication difficulties. Moreover, children with ASD often suffer from other co-morbidities, such as anxiety and depression. Finding appropriate treatment can be difficult as symptoms of ASD and co-morbidities often overlap. Due to these challenges, parents of children with ASD often suffer from higher levels of stress. This research aims to investigate the feasibility of empowering children with ASD and their parents through the use of a serious game to reduce stress and anxiety and a supporting parent application. The New Horizon game and the SpaceControl application were developed together with therapists and according to guidelines for e-health patient empowerment. The game incorporates two mini-games with relaxation techniques. The performance of the game was analyzed and usability studies with three families were conducted. Parents and children were asked to fill in the Spence's Children Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and Spence Children Anxiety Scale-Parents (SCAS-P) anxiety scale. The game shows potential for stress and anxiety reduction in children with ASD