Enhancing ADL skill acquisition in children with ASD through a personalized, fuzzy logic-based tablet game: a pilot...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Assistive Technology
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Background:

• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently struggle with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), particularly complex tasks.
• Challenges are often exacerbated by symptom severity, limited practice, and inadequate adaptive learning tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a Fuzzy logic-based tablet game for personalized ADL training in children with ASD.
• To assess the game's effectiveness in improving ADL performance and functional independence.

Main Methods:

• A one-group pre- and post-test design was used with 16 children with ASD over 4 weeks.
• A Fuzzy expert system dynamically adjusted game difficulty based on individual performance in simulated daily routines.
• In-game performance metrics were correlated with teacher assessments.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in ADL performance were observed post-intervention.
• The "canteen" context showed the greatest gains.
• All learning groups (fast, moderate, slow) demonstrated positive learning trajectories.
• A strong correlation was found between in-game rewards and teacher-assessed learning behaviors.

Conclusions:

• The Fuzzy logic-based adaptive game is an effective and feasible tool for enhancing ADL learning in children with autism.
• Personalized, real-time adaptation of challenges promotes functional independence.
• The game shows promise as a valid learning tool, supported by in-game metrics and external assessments.