Research on the Toy Design for Autistic Children

摘要

Toys are invaluable for the development of children with autism Toys that provide adequate sensory stimulation can promote parent?–child interactions and are beneficial for building the social interaction skills of autistic children From the perspective of sensory integration theory this study selected materials with tactile–visual stimuli attributes and composite light-emitting attributes as experimental samples for conducting a two-stage experiment on 15 families with preschoolers who have high-functioning autism Additionally questionnaires were distributed to record and evaluate the experiments Interactive behaviors were counted according to the frequency of smiling and laughing eye-contact and finger-pointing Additionally to assess the level of parent–child interactions the level of pleasure reaction to activities and level of activeness were evaluated The experimental results were analyzed using the quantification method type I and the weighting relationship between the toy features and interactive behaviors was constructed Experimental results for materials with tactile–visual stimuli attributes:(a) loose sequin was strongly correlated with frequent smiling/laughing and high enjoyment levels The fabric provided a loose tactile sensation regarding surface interweave uniformity and a bright visual sensation regarding visually perceived luster; (b) suede was correlated with eye contact and activity response This fabric possessed a smooth visual sensation regarding visually perceived smoothness; and (c) loose sequin was highly correlated with finger pointing and initiation This fabric offered a thin tactile sensation regarding surface interweave thickness and a bright visual sensation regarding visually perceived luster We suggest applying fabrics to composite toys Specifically loose sequin can be used initially to encourage autistic children to interact; subsequently suede can enable sustained parent-child interaction Experimental results for materials with composite light-emitting attributes: (a) the metal ball (reflective and dynamic light) was the representative sample that elicited many smiles or laughs and much finger pointing as well as high levels of pleasure and activeness; (b) the fluorescent ball (static light) was the representative sample that provoked much eye contact produced satisfactory reactions to activities; (c) the quality of fluorescence enhanced the levels of pleasure and the reactions to the activity We propose that dynamic and reflective materials can be adopted to divert the attention of children and fluorescent toys can then employed to sustain parent–child interaction According to the experimental results recommendations are proposed regarding the use of materials with light-emitting attributes for designing toys for children with autism

獎項日期	2015 12月 4
原文	English
監督員	Min-Yuan Ma (Supervisor)