Technology in Play for Children With Physical Disabilities: the Dice Model of Play

University of Manitoba

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Disabilities Mental; Disability Physical

Treatments: Other: conventional; Other: robots

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06319430

HS26236(H2023:343)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Play is an important activity for children. Almost all children play, but what is play? It is not easy to define play. In the past, people believed that children played to burn their energy. Now, it is known that play is important for children's growth. Some kids with disabilities cannot play. Many experts use play to teach children specific skills. People often forget that play is a child's right. It is important to help all children play. The first step is to define play and find what features are important in helping a child with a disability play.

There are some models of play. But they are not complete. They do not look at play as a whole. Some models are just about playfulness, and some are about playing with others. Having a model that defines play helps researchers and clinicians think about play and the different parts of it. Then, when a child cannot play, experts can fix the part that is not working. Investigators want to introduce a model of play in this project. Investigators want to edit and complete it in three steps. First, Investigators will ask parents and children with disabilities about things that help or do not help them play; then, investigators will give Lego robots to kids that they will build with help and play with them for a few weeks. And at the end, investigators will ask therapists and other experts about our model of play. This model will be edited during the study.

Full description

The study is designed in three phases, employing a mixed-method approach that integrates qualitative and quantitative methods. Phase 1 involves exploring the alignment of the Dice Model of Play with the experiences of 10 children (aged 3-8, diagnosed with different abilities) and their guardians through semi-structured interviews and content analysis; Phase 2 examines the practical application of the model with a cross-over design. Up to 20 children with different abilities will build their Lego robots within a co-design and will play with that robot for four sessions. The other group will play with conventional toys for four sessions. They will switch after finishing those sessions. Sessions will be directed by a master of occupational therapy student supervised by Dr. Jacquie Ripat, a registered occupational therapist in Manitoba. Assessments will be Test of Playfulness (TOP), enjoyment (PPE_DC), and play skills (ChIPPA-2) three times at the start, switching point, and last session. A go-along interview will be conducted in the co-design. Lastly, Phase 3 seeks expert opinions on the revised Dice Model of Play's clarity, relevance, and applicability, using online focus groups with professionals in occupational therapy, psychology, and computer science. The study aims to modify and enhance the model based on the findings from these phases.

Enrollment: 20 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 3 to 8 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Having a disability or typically developed
• Between 3 to 8 years old
• Speaking and understanding English or Persian
• Living in Winnipeg

Exclusion criteria

• Not receiving play therapy within the last three months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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20 participants in 2 patient groups

robots

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be randomly allocated to groups A or B. Those in group A will co-design and build their LEGO™ robot, using the researcher's assistance, as led by the child. A go-along interview will be conducted during the co-design with the child . The co-design session will be video recorded to provide context, visual data, and to inform the qualitative analysis. Videos will be deleted right after analysis. A research assistant (RA) will visit the participant's home twice a week for 30 to 45 minutes (after school or on the weekend) to play with the child and their built LEGO™ robots for four weeks (4 sessions total).

Treatment:

Other: robots

conventional toys

Experimental group

Description:

Group B will engage in the same process of 4 play intervention sessions over four weeks with the research assistant; however, they will receive conventional play tools. The RA will carry a prepared play pack for the play intervention session.

Treatment:

Other: conventional