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2 projects to help children with learning difficulties thanks to technology

Fun and rehabilitation go hand in hand to give new hope to those who have learning disabilities or disorders

 

Not all children are lucky enough to be born and grow up with the same chances of living a simple and carefree everyday life. In fact, it is also not possible for everyone, to have reading, writing, and maths skills at the same level.  Although this does not always mean that children with these problems have intellectual deficits, however, there are certainly specific neurobiological disorders that can cause considerable difficulties even in doing the most “simple” tasks.

Technology, in this case, can be of great help to all children and young people who were born with these genetic predispositions. The current technological progress in this area allows us to give real hope to those who have learning difficulties or disorders. In fact, through the latest graphic and electronic systems, aimed at overcoming many of these problems much progress has already been made.

Case in point are the two Italian projects that we are about to present that have been specifically designed to achieve important learning objectives.  Let’s take a look at them.

 

  • From Milan comes TOP!, To play and be rehabilitated at the same time!

 

The name “Together to Play” refers to the Milanese system TOP! It is a fundamental and innovative aid to all those families with children who have difficulty in learning. These are 3 sets of games co-designed by OpenDot TOG, WeAreMuesli, Istituto Mondino and PhuseLab UniMi to promote the rehabilitation of children with complex neurological disorders.

The TOP! suite of games consists of 3 learning video games, designed specifically for eye-tracking and visual fixation, 4 cognitive video games to reinforce exploration, logical deduction, visual comparisons, and object distinction, and finally 3 entertainment games, designed to vent aggression. The project was made possible by the FabLab OpenDot and the TOG Foundation (Together To Go), which are active in education and – especially with regards to TOG – in the rehabilitation of children with learning problems.

 

TOP! a suite of video games designed specifically to help overcome learning disabilities

 

 

  1. Quanto Basta (Q-B) How much is enough not to be afraid of mathematics anymore

 

In Piacenza, the “Nao & Forever” team, composed of students from the third, fourth, and fifth year in the Traditional and Applied Sciences addresses of the Liceo scientifico “Respighi” (scientific high school), decided to set up a project with a name as simple as it is captivating, which can help many children with dyscalculia and dyslexia. For these students with learning disorders, in fact, the daily difficulties can be numerous, especially in school environments, where they risk being excluded from many activities.

Thus, Q-B (Quanto Basta), namely, “How much is enough not to be afraid of mathematics anymore, and not only” allows students through the use of  interconnected electronic cubes, to carry out mathematical operations that for children with learning disorders are complicated, if not impossible. The calculations, in fact, become as simple and fun as a game. It is precisely this playful approach that has been successful in helping students to overcome difficulties that, for many children and their families, represent a major source of unease.

 

The “Nao & Forever” team’s Q-B project to help develop math skills

TOP! and Q-B, along with several other projects based on new learning technologies, will be present at the Maker Faire Rome – the European Edition 2019, the world-famous innovative technology fair that will take place from 18 to 20 October at Fiera di Roma.