Empowering Children with ASD and Their Parents: Design of a Serious Game for Anxiety and Stress Reduction

• Main Authors: Stéphanie Carlier, Sara Van der Paelt, Femke Ongenae, Femke De Backere, Filip De Turck
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-02-01
• Series: Sensors
• Subjects: autism spectrum disorder; serious game; anxiety; stress; user empowerment; gamification; human-computer interaction; relaxation techniques; pervasive health
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/4/966

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.