IDLab, iGent Tower-Department of Information Technology, Ghent University-imec, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 126, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium.
Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Sensors (Basel). 2020 Feb 11;20(4):966. doi: 10.3390/s20040966.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by social interaction difficulties and communication difficulties. Moreover, children with ASD often suffer from other co-morbidities, such as anxiety and depression. Finding appropriate treatment can be difficult as symptoms of ASD and co-morbidities often overlap. Due to these challenges, parents of children with ASD often suffer from higher levels of stress. This research aims to investigate the feasibility of empowering children with ASD and their parents through the use of a serious game to reduce stress and anxiety and a supporting parent application. The New Horizon game and the SpaceControl application were developed together with therapists and according to guidelines for e-health patient empowerment. The game incorporates two mini-games with relaxation techniques. The performance of the game was analyzed and usability studies with three families were conducted. Parents and children were asked to fill in the Spence's Children Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and Spence Children Anxiety Scale-Parents (SCAS-P) anxiety scale. The game shows potential for stress and anxiety reduction in children with ASD.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的特征是社交互动困难和沟通困难。此外，自闭症儿童通常还患有其他共病，如焦虑和抑郁。由于 ASD 的症状和共病常常重叠，因此找到合适的治疗方法可能具有挑战性。由于这些挑战，自闭症儿童的父母通常承受着更高水平的压力。本研究旨在通过使用严肃游戏和支持父母的应用程序来增强自闭症儿童及其父母的能力，以减轻压力和焦虑。New Horizon 游戏和 SpaceControl 应用程序是与治疗师一起开发的，并根据电子健康患者赋权指南开发。该游戏包含两个带有放松技巧的迷你游戏。分析了游戏的性能，并对三个家庭进行了可用性研究。父母和孩子被要求填写斯宾塞儿童焦虑量表（SCAS）和斯宾塞儿童焦虑量表-父母（SCAS-P）焦虑量表。该游戏显示出在自闭症儿童中减轻压力和焦虑的潜力。
