Mazi: a Tangible Toy for Collaborative Play between Children with Autism

Playtime is an important activity for child development as it stimulates as well as predicts cognitive, motor, emotional and social skills. Children with autism may find it difficult to socialize, particularly initiating and maintaining human interactions. Consecutively, it is thought that playing with peers is often a challenge that many children avoid by simply playing in solitary mode. We present the design of Mazi, an e-textile sonic tangible user interface (TUI) designed with the aim of promoting basic social skills; stimulating spontaneous, independent and collaborative play; and providing sensory regulation opportunities. Mazi was tested in a Special Education Needs (SEN) School based in NorthEast London, with a group of five minimally verbal children with autism aged between 6 to 9. The results show great potentials for TUI implementation in educational settings as a way of promoting social skills through carefully designed playful and recreational activities.

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