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BeeSmart: A Gesture-Based Videogame to Support Literacy and Eye-Hand Coordination of Children with Down Syndrome

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Games and Learning Alliance (GALA 2017)

Abstract

Children with Down Syndrome (DS) have deficits in eye-hand coordination skills. These deficits impact activities of daily living (ADL) and children’s independence. In addition, there is a substantial relationship between eye-hand coordination and the acquisition of literacy skills. In this paper, we present the design process of a gesture-based videogame to support eye-hand coordination and literacy skills. First, we conducted a contextual study in an educational institute for children with DS. Next, using the contextual study results, several design solutions were generated and iterated using low-fidelity prototypes. Finally, we designed and developed BeeSmart, a videogame based on the Troncoso’s method for literacy, wherein children use their fingers to draw around pictograms and words on a screen. Finally, we present a usability evaluation of BeeSmart to show the potential for supporting children with DS.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Eye-hand coordination is the ability to integrate both visual and motor abilities to accomplish a goal (e.g., reaching a ball). It involves using hands/fingers in order to reach a visual target [8].

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Acknowledgements

We thank CEART DOWN AC for the continuous support.

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Correspondence to Karina Caro .

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Amado Sanchez, V.L., Islas Cruz, O.I., Ahumada Solorza, E.A., Encinas Monroy, I.A., Caro, K., Castro, L.A. (2017). BeeSmart: A Gesture-Based Videogame to Support Literacy and Eye-Hand Coordination of Children with Down Syndrome. In: Dias, J., Santos, P., Veltkamp, R. (eds) Games and Learning Alliance. GALA 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10653. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71940-5_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71940-5_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71940-5

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