Model playground for autistic children: teaching social skills through tangible collaboration

TY - GEN

T1 - Model playground for autistic children

T2 - 17th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies

AU - Castro, Thais

AU - Castro, Alberto

AU - Lima, David

AU - Bjørn, Pernille

N1 - Conference code: 17

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - Children with autism often have difficulties in learning the social skills and norms of peer social interaction, which severely affect and limit their social lives. Aiming at addressing this issue, through design, we developed a digital-analogue model playground to help them understand and cope with the socially difficult situations experienced when they go to a physical playground to interact with peers. Based on therapists and parents' insights, we created the model playground with built in collaborative protocols providing immediate feedback to the children in terms of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Our design artefact was evaluated in a rehabilitation clinic for autistic children and demonstrates promising potential for digital-analogue devices as useful resources training peer social interaction. Our findings document that digital-analogue design devices can facilitate the development of social skills and norms through peer learning activities amongst children with autism.

AB - Children with autism often have difficulties in learning the social skills and norms of peer social interaction, which severely affect and limit their social lives. Aiming at addressing this issue, through design, we developed a digital-analogue model playground to help them understand and cope with the socially difficult situations experienced when they go to a physical playground to interact with peers. Based on therapists and parents' insights, we created the model playground with built in collaborative protocols providing immediate feedback to the children in terms of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Our design artefact was evaluated in a rehabilitation clinic for autistic children and demonstrates promising potential for digital-analogue devices as useful resources training peer social interaction. Our findings document that digital-analogue design devices can facilitate the development of social skills and norms through peer learning activities amongst children with autism.

KW - development of social ability

KW - inclusive learning

KW - Peer interaction

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85030243344&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1109/ICALT.2017.144

DO - 10.1109/ICALT.2017.144

M3 - Article in proceedings

AN - SCOPUS:85030243344

SP - 441

EP - 445

BT - 2017 IEEE 17th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT)

PB - IEEE

Y2 - 3 July 2017 through 7 July 2017

ER -