How Digital Games Help Kids with Disabilities

Digital games have earned both bouquets and brickbats from parents and educators. Owing to the high level of engagement it offers and its popularity with kids, it is a great tool that can be used to involve kids in learning. It also helps kids with disabilities as it takes away the pressure of traditional learning in classrooms that can often prove to be frustrating.

The online world offers a variety of games for kids. From strategy games to educational games, the variety is endless. There are also games that are designed for specific learning disorders. While certain iPad apps can be used to teach kids diagnosed with autism and dyslexia, those with fine motor skills disability can benefit from activities and games for kids that allow them to practice these skills.  There are also games for kids with vision impairment, ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome and others.

“Toca Boca” by tocaboca is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Why Digital Games?

Digital games can provide teaching and support outside classrooms with educational and developmental benefits. Though disabilities may differ in nature and severity, games allow for the element of fun which can relax kids and open them up to learning.

Learning through online games helps kids develop and practice new skills in a safe environment before they practice them in the real world. Skills learnt can range from life skills to hand-eye coordination. It is possible to plan individualized learning with online games for kids. Children can control the pace of their learning and repeat an activity until they grasp it.

“Playing on the computer” by john is licensed under CC BY 2.0

How to Find Games for Kids with Disabilities

There is no dearth of online resources for kids with special needs. A child may not be struggling in all areas, and not all subjects or skills may be challenging. It is important to consider their skills and also take into account their interests while finding the right games for them. The level of difficulty can be selected by assessing their skills.

Games for Kids with Special Needs

Some of the games for kids include Orsinal’s flash games that help develop motor skills and they can be played with a single click mouse. Dyslexic learners may benefit from audiobooks like Learning Ally. A website that has developed games keeping in mind the needs of autistic children is WhizKidGames. Another game for autistic kids is Mouse Trial, which can help kids learn communication skills. TapToTalk is also designed to help those with difficulties in speech, across all age groups. iPad’s apps Flashcards for iPad and AppWriter can be used for those with reading and writing disabilities.

Technology has opened up new avenues of learning for children with disabilities. By understanding the specific needs of the child and the challenges they face, it is possible to make the best use of the online resources that are available. 

Re-mission - a game for kids by kids

Typical Carcinoid by Yale Rosen is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Computer Games have been around for a while and have generally had a mixed welcome. Many consider it as a plain waste of time, but kids(now the average age of a gamer is 33!) enjoy them. As recent studies show that there are pros and not just cons to gaming, many are slowly coming on board. There are some who have taken the game to new levels - in fact the benefits are felt at the cellular level!

Re-mission is a game conceived by Pam Omidyar. It was developed by game designers with input from a bunch of people we would never associate with gaming - cancer patients, oncology doctors and nurses. The target audience? Young cancer patients.

About the game

Released in 2006, it's about how well a player can control 'Roxxi', a nanobot which is injected into the human body to fight certain types of cancers at a cellular level. The weapons available are the antibiotic rocket, chemoblaster and the radiation gun. There are 20 levels to inform patients about treatment available and the associated procedures, to which a strict adherence is required. Patient health must be monitored by the player and results reported to an in-house doctor.

Benefits to the target audience

The game was used in 34 centers in the US, Australia and Canada, and patients(mostly young adult) monitored for psychological and behavioral changes associated with cancer treatment, over 3 months. In comparison with the control group, the patients who played this game significantly improved their behavioral pattern, maintained higher levels of chemotherapy in their blood and stayed on the antibiotics prescribed. The game had a remarkable effect on a biological level.

Not only did the game Re-mission bring the young participants pleasure in playing the game, it helped build confidence in them that they could fight the cancer. It also helped them understand their cancer and what was required to fight it.

The second version the game has games to build a positive attitude and therefore an adherence to treatment routines. The online games are free and available in many countries. Here are some Play with Purpose games from the people behind Re-mission.