Review on Serious Games for People with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism

Abstract

People with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) are those who have low intellectual abilities and limitations in behavioural and social functioning. ID can be observed in a very early stage in their lives, while every person with ID has individual characteristics. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a mental disorder that causes issues in social, communicational and emotional behaviour. Many people with ASD have high intellectual abilities, whereas there are others with cognitive disabilities. Therapists have identified several intervention methods to provide aid and teach people with ID and ASD several skills. The traditional methods include special educational programmes, individual or team sessions with therapists and team bonding activities. However, the technological advancements have allowed therapists, organizations and researchers invent new intervention methods. Such methods include software solutions and Serious Games (SGs). In this study, the state-of-the-art in SGs that have already been developed is explored. The findings are categorized based on the limitations they try toaddress that fall into two categories, namely intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour. SGs falling in the adaptive behavior category are classified according to the categories of skills they aim to promote, namely conceptual, socialand practical skills. Finally, the SGs presented are classified according to the specific skills (i.e. language and literacy, daily living) they aim to improve. SGs are comparatively analysed taking into account their target group, specific purpose, type/platform and evaluation results. Based on this analysis conclusions are drawn that can assist: (1) organizations, therapists, and parents in deciding which is the most appropriate SG for enhancing a specific intervention; (2) researchers in making informed decisions for studying the impact of SGs on improving specific skills of people with ID and ASD; (3) the stakeholders in designing and implementing more effective SGs, such as SGS for skills that are not adequately covered.