Name: SHEILA DA LUZ SCHREIDER
Publication date: 25/10/2024
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| CAROLINE CUNHA DO ESPÍRITO SANTO | Examinador Externo |
| ÉBERTE VALTER DA SILVA FREITAS | Examinador Externo |
| ELIETE MARIA DE OLIVEIRA CALDEIRA | Coorientador |
| NICOLÁS JACOBO VALENCIA JIMENEZ | Examinador Externo |
| SONIA ALVES GOUVEA | Examinador Interno |
Pages
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of three gametherapy protocols on proprioception and postural balance in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Down Syndrome (DS). The protocols were implemented through serious games using the socially assistive robot MARIA T-21, which stands for "Mobile Autonomous Robot for Interaction with Autistics and Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome)". The functional performance and therapeutic progress of these children and adolescents were assessed through the analysis of body images captured by a multi-camera system. The serious games in this research were projected into the environment by the MARIA T-21 robot, which is also equipped with a video camera for image capture. In the second and third phases of data collection, an additional system of four video cameras, placed in each corner of the experiment room, was employed. Three groups were analyzed in this study, involving a total of 20 children and adolescents: 11 diagnosed with ASD and 9 with DS. The participants, aged between 5 and 18 years at the time of the experiments, were recruited from the following institutions: Associação dos Amigos dos Autistas do Espírito Santo (AMAES Vitória), Vitória Down, and Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais (APAE) from Vitória and Vila Velha. Before starting the serious game protocols, the parents/guardians of the children and adolescents were informed about the research objectives. The participants then underwent a psychomotor assessment using Victor da Fonseca’s Psychomotor Battery, which evaluates tonicity, balance, lateralization, and praxis. Additionally, during the third stage of data collection, parents/guardians completed the PEDI-CAT questionnaire, a functional assessment tool, both before and after the implementation of the serious game protocols. This protocol included 10 sessions of 40 minutes each at the AMAES Vitória and APAE Vitória institutions, and 4 sessions of 40 minutes at APAE Vila Velha, held twice a week. The sessions focused on training proprioception, balance, and both global and fine motor skills. The interaction between the robot and the child was guided by an algorithm that processed data from a LiDAR distance sensor and the robot's video camera. The games used in the study included Sound Sequence, Macaw Game, Hopscotch, Healthy Eating, Cross Kids, Bricks, and Star Wars, along with a warm-up activity and a drawing game called "Draw With Me". At the end of the protocol, the children underwent an identical psychomotor assessment to the initial one. The results show that the use of the MARIA T-21 robot and the serious games was an effective therapeutic strategy, providing a playful approach and increasing children's adherence to therapy. There was significant improvement in the psychomotor profile of the children and adolescents, with gains in sustaining postures, such as single-leg stance and tiptoes, as well as an increase in the average levels achieved in the Jogo da Arara. The analysis of body images from two adolescents with DS showed fluctuations in postural control, along with improvements in motor efficiency over the course of the sessions. The image analysis tool, BalancePro, was highly valuable in tracking their progress, providing precise numerical data on movement during the evaluated tasks. In conclusion, the use of the MARIA T-21 robot and serious games in this study proved to be a promising alternative for motor rehabilitation of children and adolescents with ASD and DS, contributing to the improvement of motor skills and overall development of these children and adolescents, facilitating their integration into school and social contexts, and promoting greater autonomy. It is believed that for families, these improvements may result in a better quality of life and family interactions, in addition to facilitating social and school inclusion of the children and adolescents.
