An interactive cognitive-motor training system for children with intellectual disability

Abstract

It is increasingly evident that engaging in regular physical activity is important for people’s health and well-being. However, physical training is still a big challenge for individuals with cognitive disabilities since it is difficult to motivate them and provide them with sustained pleasant training experiences over time. Active Video Games and Exergames may help achieve this, especially in the younger population. This paper describes an accessible Interactive Cognitive-Motor Training system (ICMT) created to encourage physical activity in children with cognitive disabilities by combining cognitive and gross motor training. The system was developed at a low cost, on top of an open source rhythm game, which has built-in support for dance pads and large video screens. The application employs user profiling in order to deliver personalized training. Performance data are recorded for further analysis to verify the training’s efficacy and if needed, to tune the intervention. A pilot study showed the effectiveness of the proposed system, which by taking advantage of the positive effects of playing videogames, appears to encourage cognitively impaired people’s physical activity.