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Developing a smart playing program for children diagnosed with disabilities: a pilot study
Dahae Rim1, Hyunsook Shin2, Hyejin Jeon2
1College of Nursing, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea.
Disability and Rehabilitation. Assistive Technology
|June 21, 2026
Summary
This study developed a smart care play program using information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance play for children with disabilities. The program showed initial feasibility, though device challenges require further development.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Assistive Technology
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Play is crucial for child development, especially for children with disabilities.
- Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can overcome play barriers for disabled children by enhancing accessibility and engagement.
- Smart care play programs offer innovative solutions for inclusive play experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a smart care play program tailored for children with disabilities and their families.
- To integrate ICT solutions to improve play accessibility and engagement for children with special needs.
- To assess the feasibility and satisfaction of a novel smart care play intervention.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods approach was employed within a Living Lab framework for program development and evaluation.
- Co-design involved mothers of children with disabilities, healthcare professionals, and therapists to create a play matrix and seven program prototypes.
- Pilot testing with nine children with disabilities utilized Kinect or eye-tracking devices, followed by satisfaction assessment via focus groups and questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Participant needs analysis identified requirements for safe, developmentally supportive, tailored, engaging, and credible play activities.
- Thirty-eight expert-validated play programs were created, adaptable to individual physical functioning levels with four difficulty settings.
- Children and families reported satisfaction, highlighting immersion promotion, program benefits, and some estrangement from the smart care play elements.
Conclusions:
- The smart care play program demonstrated initial feasibility in promoting play participation for children with disabilities.
- Further refinement is necessary to address device-related challenges encountered during the pilot study.
- The findings support the potential of ICT-integrated play solutions for children with diverse needs.
