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

Author(s)

da Cruz Netto, Ovidio Lopes ^{[1, 2]} ; Martini Rodrigues, Silvia Cristina ^{[2, 3]} ; de Castro, Marcus Vasconcelos ^[1] ; da Silva, Diego Pereira ^{[2, 3]} ; da Silva, Robson Rodrigues ^{[2, 3]} ; Brancato de Souza, Richard Ribeiro ^{[2, 3, 4]} ; Ferreira de Souza, Adriana A. ^[5] ; Silva Bissaco, Marcia Aparecida ^{[2, 3, 6]}

Affiliation

^[1] Nove de Julho Univ UNINOVE, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Mogi das Cruzes, Technol Res Ctr, Mogi das Cruzes, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Mogi das Cruzes, Postgrad Programme Biomed Engn, Mogi Das Cruzes, SP - Brazil

^[4] Behav Anal Core, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Mogi das Cruzes, Psychol Clin, Mogi Das Cruzes, SP - Brazil

^[6] Univ Mogi das Cruzes, Profess Masters Program Hlth Sci & Technol, Mogi Das Cruzes, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS; v. 10, n. 1 FEB 21 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

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 Sao 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. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/12248-2 - COMPUTER GAME DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
• Grantee: Marcia Aparecida Silva Bissaco
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants