Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 4
The Importance of Play:
AT for Children with Disabilities
Albert M. Cook and Kim Adams
Abstract
The potential of robots as assistive tools for play activities has
been demonstrated through a number of studies. Children with motor impair-
ments can use robots to manipulate objects and engage in play in activities
that parallel those of their typically developing peers. This participation cre-
ates opportunities to learn cognitive, social, motor, and linguistic skills. By
comparing disabled children's performance with that of typically developing
children, robot use can also provide a proxy measure of cognitive abilities.
4.1 Background
During typical development, play activities provide an opportunity for chil-
dren to learn cognitive, social, motor, and linguistic skills through the ma-
nipulation of objects. Physical impairments make it dicult for a child who
has disabilities to independently manipulate objects in a play context [
16
].
Assistive technologies have been used to enable play by adapting battery
powered toys to be controlled by a single switch activated by a gross mo-
tor movement. This engages children and provides a sense of control, but
the repetitive action of the toy causes the child to lose interest. There are
also simple electronic aids to daily living (EADLs) that allow an appliance
such as a food mixer to be plugged in and controlled with a single gross
movement on one switch. This allows a child to participate in activities with
other children. For example a child with fair fine motor control could open a
