Children With Cerebral Palsy Playing With Mainstream Robotic Toys: Playfulness and Environmental Supportiveness.

Purpose: Play is a right for every child and has a key role in child development. Play can be analyzed according to the construct of playfulness, which is the child's disposition to play. Children with cerebral palsy (CP) show difficulties in play and can also experience lower playfulness scores when compared to matched typically developing children. This paper analyses play and playfulness in children with CP using mainstream robotic toys with supporting adult play partners. Methodology: Five mainstream robotic toys were selected and used in play situations with six children with CP interacting with two adult partners. The play situations were coded through the Test of Playfulness (ToP) and the Test of Environmental Supportiveness (ToES), to analyze the role of robotic toys, adult partners and environment in supporting play and playfulness in children with CP. Results: The children obtained high ToP scores, showing that they were intrinsically motivated to be engaged in the play situations. The ToP scores weakly correlated with the ToES scores. To discuss this result, different features of each robot, the role of adults as scaffolder, and the space characteristics in supporting play are presented and discussed. Conclusion: This research field is new: to our knowledge, in the literature only one study focused on the use of one type of mainstream robotic toy to support the playfulness of children with CP. The parallel use of the ToP and the ToES was crucial to observe the complexity of the play situations and the role of playmates and toys during the play process. The role of the adult as play scaffolder has been important to mediate between the child with CP and the environment, toys included: the adult should be strongly aware of this role to better support the child in being in charge of the play situation. Further research is needed.

Introducing LUDI: a research network on play for children with disabilities.

This paper presents LUDI, an interdisciplinary network of research centred on the topic of play for children with disabilities. The primary aim of the network is to ensure the theme is given the widest recognition as an independent field of research and intervention. Currently, the network comprises over 80 researchers and practitioners from 27 European countries. It is funded by the EU COST Programme through the means of an interdisciplinary Action started in May 2014 and lasting four years. The present contribution will discuss the scientific and social background and their implications that lead to the creation of the network, activities carried out during the first year of the Action and introduces the expected results of the ongoing activities.

Assistive Technology: Bridging End-users and Technology / 中国康复理论与实践

One of the basic aspects that determines the success or failure in the use of assistive technologies on the part of people with disabilities is constituted by the ability that provide a disabled person with the technology that corresponds effectively to his needs and to his capabilities,thus to interpret correctly the problems and to find the right ways of transferring this technological knowledge.If the aids answer the effective needs and capabilities of the person he can achieve significant improvement to reach the goals of his individual rehabilitative project.The article highlights the key factors of success.

Being informed, demanding and responsible consumers of assistive technology: an educational issue.

PURPOSE: Awareness and knowledge of Assistive Technology (AT) are key factors in supporting empowerment of people with disabilities. They also greatly contribute to the success of AT solutions. Based on the findings of the EUSTAT study--an international project within the Telematics Application Programme of the European Commission--this paper offers a synthesis of the guidelines developed for those who organize educational activities on AT addressed towards end-users. RESULTS: The educational process is looked at within an empowerment perspective rather that as a mere transmission of notions. The effectiveness of education should be evaluated in relation to the increased ability of end users to make use of AT knowledge for improving their quality of life, and becoming informed, demanding and responsible consumers of AT products and services. CONCLUSION: To such end a number of critical factors are identified, and ways to address them are discussed. Finally, a case study is reported as an example of an effective AT educational curriculum for end-users.

An Italian research project to study the play of children with motor disabilities: the first year of activity.

PURPOSE: The paper presents the main outline of a new research project carried out by the SIVA research team concerning the development of methodologies to select and use assistive technology to allow children with motor disabilities to play with toys. CONCLUSION: Giving them the same opportunities to play as their peers without disabilities can best enhance their cognitive and social development. A review of the literature in the field is also included.