SoundShaping: Combining Music-Making and Painting in Augmented Reality for Adults with Neurodevelopmental Conditions

Abstract

Art therapy approaches, such as music-making and painting, can promote attention and emotional regulation abilities while fostering engagement in individuals with Neurodevelopmental Conditions (NDCs). Studies combining music-making and painting activities in immersive, interactive multisensory environments suggest promising benefits to complement traditional approaches. Still, the limited portability of interactive multisensory environments restricts their use in everyday settings, such as care centers. This paper introduces SoundShaping, a head-mounted augmented reality activity that integrates drawing and music-making and is devoted to people with NDCs, particularly adults with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The article focuses on the user-centered, iterative design process of SoundShaping, which was co-designed in collaboration with a psychologist specialized in NDCs.