Grip and pinch capability assessment system for children

Correlation of neuropsychological indicators of child development with speech: Empirical research underpinning the national children’s health prevention programme

Introduction/Aim Psychophysiological disorders and speech pathology is one of the priority public health problems in the Republic of Serbia. Child?s growth and development proceed in a particular sequence and course, depending on individual physiological capacities, quality of neuromuscular structures and stimuli, which can be significantly affected by the environment. The development of speech from birth to the adult age is a result of the interaction of neurocognitive factors that contribute to a gradual attainment of phonological presentation and motor control abilities. The aim of the study was to examine the connection between manipulative manual dexterity, oral practice and lateralization with the development and speech in children and their potential for the development of prevention programs. Methods: The sample included 60 children from Belgrade of both sexes, aged between 5.5 and 7 years. Of these, 30 made up the experimental group - children with deviations in speech development (articulation disorders), and 30 the control group - typically developing children from the general population. The instruments used were the Manipulative Manual Dexterity Test (Lafayette), Oral Praxis Test, and part of the Test for assessing lateralisation (auditory, visual, and functional). Results The hand grip development level is statistically significantly different between the experimental and the control group (??=21.40, df=3, p<0.01). The presence of associated involuntary movements statistically significantly differs between the experimental and the control group examinees (??=10.58, df=1, p<0.01). Oral praxis statistically significantly differs between the experimental and the control group (t=2,01, p<0,05). Visual laterality statistically significantly differs (??=7.56, p<0.05) between the observed groups. When all predictors are taken into account, significant contribution to the explanation of the existence of speech pathology (articulation disorders) is given by the variables: Visual lateralization (OR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.179-0.832; p = 0.015) and the level of hand grip development (OR = 0.23; 95% CI = 0.082-0.699; p = 0.009). Conclusion: The hand grip development level and visual laterality are worse in children with speech (articulation) impairment and developmental deviations. It is these indicators of child development that should be used as a guide in designing the National programmes for developmental assessment and prevention in the child healthcare system.

Memorization of daily routines by children with Down syndrome assisted by a playful virtual environment

A child with Down syndrome, like any other child, may benefit from interacting with memory stimuli, but needs additional support and help. The use of special teaching methods, which add playfulness and use of the computer, can enhance the memory processes of these children. In this work, we present the virtual environment "Nossa Vida (Our Life)", which was developed to assist children with Down syndrome to memorize action sequences of their daily routine. A daily routine memorization test (DRMT), consisting of a weekly reminder of typical daily routines completed by the children and parents, was performed before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the intervention. The work involved a multidisciplinary team and assessed the effectiveness of the test performed by 30 children with Down syndrome from APAE, a special education school for children with intellectual disabilities in São Paulo, Brazil. The children were separated into two groups (Experimental - GE and Control - GC) with homogeneity and normality of the data. Two hypotheses were tested in this study: H0 and H1, where: H0 = There is no statistical difference between memorizing daily tasks between individuals with Down syndrome who used our ludic virtual environment and those who used the conventional memory method.H1 = There is a difference between the group of subjects with Down Syndrome who used our virtual game environment and the group that did not use it in relation to memorizing the daily task. This produces t = -14.98 and p <0.0001, with H1 being accepted. The results showed that the EG presented significance in relation to the CG and the evolution mean of the children in the EG was 81.82% higher. According to experts (psychologist and pedagogue) from APAE and parents, the playful activities implemented in this virtual environment have been of great interest to children, who had fun, tested hypotheses and questioned them about the sequences of actions performed in their routine daily.

A computerized tool to assess reading skills of students with motor impairment

Conventional tests for assessing the early reading skills of preschool children on school entry are not accessible to students with motor limitations of upper limbs. This paper presents a game-like computerized test featuring an appealing scenario that is accessible to these students. It was developed on a platform that creates 2D vector graphics and contains three phases of interactive content accessible through an adapted peripheral. A conventional card-based test was also used to validate the effectiveness of the computerized test. Both tests were performed by thirty-three preschool children without mobility impairment all aged between four years and six months and six years and two months (x¯ = 5,33; σ = 0,44). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the nonparametric data from the computerized test with the card-based test in the first and second phase, yielding results of p = 0.11 and p = 0.21, respectively. The Student's t-test was conducted to compare the parametric data of the third phase of the computerized test with the data from the third phase of the card-based test yielded results of p = 0.07.Three gaming experts considered the computerized test to be fun and engaging, and three teachers concluded that the computerized test meets educational goals. Additionally, seven volunteers with moderate mobility impairment (group T), aged between eight and seventeen years old (x¯=11.8; σ = 3.5), accompanied by two physical therapists, took the computerized test using the adapted peripheral device and performed the required tasks without difficulty and without showing signs of fatigue. Based on the results obtained it can be concluded that the computerized test may enable educators to include students with mobility difficulties in literacy assessments and to design teaching strategies that are appropriate given their levels of knowledge.

The design and evaluation of a peripheral device for use with a computer game intended for children with motor disabilities

Many children with motor impairments cannot participate in games and jokes that contribute to their formation. Currently, commercial computer games there are few options of software and sufficiently flexible access devices to meet the needs of this group of children. In this study, a peripheral access device and a 3D computerized game that do not require the actions of dragging, clicking, or activating various keys at the same time were developed. The peripheral access device consists of a webcam and a supervisory system that processes the images. This method provides a field of action that can be adjusted to various types of motor impairments. To analyze the sensitivity of the commands, a virtual course was developed using the scenario of a path of straight lines and curves. A volunteer with good ability in virtual games performed a short training with the virtual course and, after 15min of training, obtained similar results with a standard keyboard and the adapted peripheral device. A 3D game in the Amazon forest was developed using the Blender 3D tool. This free software was used to model the characters and scenarios. To evaluate the usability of the 3D game, the game was tested by 20 volunteers without motor impairments (group A) and 13 volunteers with severe motor limitations of the upper limbs (group B). All the volunteers (group A and B) could easily execute all the actions of the game using the adapted peripheral device. The majority positively evaluated the questions of usability and expressed their satisfaction. The computerized game coupled to the adapted device will offer the option of leisure and learning to people with severe motor impairments who previously lacked this possibility. It also provided equality in this activity to all the users.