Toys design and it’s role in developing autistic children skills

Elgendy, Asmaa; Abdou, Sayed Abdou Ahmed; Youssef, Rehab Taha

doi:10.21608/mjaf.2024.262868.3315

Toys design and it’s role in developing autistic children skills

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ faculty of applied arts, Helwan university

² Industrial design faculty of Applied Arts

10.21608/mjaf.2024.262868.3315

Abstract

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often face difficulties with social interaction and communication skills. Game design, particularly educational games, may be beneficial in developing these core abilities.

Treatment methods available for ASD encompass a variety of approaches aimed at helping children reduce symptoms, modify undesirable behaviors, and foster competencies and expertise. Game-based interventions are among the multifaceted treatments employed.

Games can aid in symptom mitigation and behavioral correction while also cultivating skills and capacities more broadly. Research indicates game design tailored to individual need significantly supports social and communicative competence advancement. Properly designed games may enhance social interaction and connectivity.

Examples of impactful game types include those boosting verbal and nonverbal communication like emotion expression. Games can also strengthen social abilities such as emotional engagement and cooperation. Educational games similarly facilitate vocabulary and concept learning while refining fine motor, focus and attention abilities.

Innovative design techniques afford optimizing games' therapeutic and educational impact, especially when crafted with each child's distinct profile in mind. Careful consideration of individual characteristics allows maximizing benefits related to competency progression in multiple pivotal domains for children on the spectrum.

Recent game technologies promise elevating intervention efficacy. Outcomes are most favorable when development prioritizes personalized needs. In summary, diverse styles of purposeful play appear highly valuable for facilitating growth of core social and communication capabilities, given suitable accommodation of every participant's profile. Educational games may prove especially gainful regarding relationship-building and foundation skill reinforcement for this population.

Overall, the evidence advocates game-centered approaches, implemented judiciously, can meaningfully enhance functioning for youth with ASD by targeting crucial developmental areas through engaging formats respecting each user. With proper execution and selection aligned with personalized requirements, games emerge as a promising practice.

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