Technology Tailored to the Needs of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Scientists from Gdańsk Tech are researching how to design and develop applications that can be used by children with neurodevelopmental disorders. This is part of the international TE(A)CHADOPT project, funded by the Erasmus+ program.
Scientists from Gdańsk Tech are researching how to design and develop applications that can be used by children with neurodevelopmental disorders. This is part of the international TE(A)CHADOPT project, funded by the Erasmus+ program.
The leader of the project "TE(A)CHADOPT Teaching Students How Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders Adopt and Interact with Technology" is the Medical University of Graz (Austria), and besides the researchers from Gdańsk Tech, scientists from the Technical University of Munich (Germany), Beit Issie Shapiro Institute (Israel), Macedonian Association of Applied Psychology (North Macedonia), Istanbul Technical University (Turkey), and Yeditepe University in Istanbul (Turkey) are involved in the research work.
The aim of the project is to develop guidelines for designing, creating, and evaluating the accessibility of technologies used by children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The researchers want to fill a significant knowledge gap among technology creators by teaching students, who will be future technology developers, key skills in accessibility and awareness. Progress in adapting technology to the needs and desires of children with neurodevelopmental disorders will enhance therapies, improve the quality of life for children, and increase their integration.
Representing Gdańsk Tech in the project are PhD Eng. Michał Wróbel (project manager), DSc Eng. Agnieszka Landowska, and MSc Eng. Małgorzata Pykała.
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In the first phase of the project, researchers conducted a literature review dedicated to the issue of acceptance and use of technology by children with neurodevelopmental disorders and designed further studies.
Next, in cooperation with the Institute for Supporting Child Development in Gdańsk (https://iwrd.pl/), an observational study was carried out, during which interactions of children with autism spectrum disorder with therapeutic applications "Friendly Applications" were recorded. The study involved students of Computer Science from the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics: Julita Zamroczyńska, Vanessa Kuśnierz, Agata Fenska-Rompa, and Kacper Wróbel.
In the next stage of the project, these recordings, along with materials collected by other consortium members, will be analyzed to develop guidelines for application developers and other technology solution providers regarding the design of products for this group of users. Additionally, recommendations for academic teachers on educating students about this issue will also be developed.
The objective of the TE(A)CHADOPT project is to provide technology providers with knowledge concerning the design of tools supporting children with neurodevelopmental disorders so that they are attractive and willingly used, while also being effective in therapy and supporting their development.
