IPad Serious Game to Aid Children with Special Needs in Emotion Learning

Abstract

An iPad serious game in emotion learning is presented in this chapter for children with special needs, such as autism spectrum disorder. Some of the children with special needs suffer in recognizing their own emotional states and/or other people’s emotional states. They may lack appropriate strategies to deal with ever-changing emotional states. They have difficulty in knowing how to interpret the emotional states of others and to react to their emotional feelings, such as anger, sadness, and so on. Often their reactions may not match their emotional states. With rapid developments in technology nowadays, mobile devices, including iPad, and their software applications are gaining popularity as an educational tool. It can help create potential treatments for children with special needs. The touch screen and simple human–machine interface make iPad user friendly for children with coordination or learning difficulties. With this technology, it is possible to create serious game applications suitable for children with special needs to learn, understand, and react to emotions in different scenarios. By incorporating embedded videos to mimic basic daily life scenarios, iPad serious games aim to recreate the emotions allowing children with special needs to learn recognizing their own emotional states and the emotional states of others around them.