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THE SWITCH KIT: BRIDGING THE GAP IN THERAPEUTIC TOYS FOR CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL COMPLEXITIES

Kate Bokowy1,2, Mia E. Hoffman1,2, Alisha Bose3, Tiffany Li4, Heather A. Feldner2,4, Katherine M. Steele1,2 

1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2 Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences, 3 Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering, 4 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA 

BACKGROUND:

Early Intervention

    • Early intervention therapies support the development of children with complex medical conditions1
    • Clinicians use toys to motivate children during their sessions

Therapeutic Toys

    • Commercially available toys for young children are not accessible as many require fine motor skills or are too costly
    • Toys need to be customizable for therapeutic use, mimic the desired motion, can adapt to child’s abilities, and be set up quickly

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CURRENT SOLUTIONS:

Adaptive Tilt Switch

$66.99 – School Health

Switch being used with switch adapted toy $54.99 - Amazon

How can we design an accessible toy that is flexible to the needs of children with complex medical conditions?

OUR DESIGN:

Demo Dino uses the switch kit to play a custom made Scratch game

Input Device

Switch accessible computer connection

with MakeyMakey inside

METHOD:

Literature review of early intervention therapies, adaptive toys, and switches

Develop design requirements for a therapeutic toy

Design switches

4 Clinician and 4 family co-design testing

TILT SWITCH DESIGN PROCESS:

Activated when hex nut touches paper clips

Constructed from conductive saltwater and small shampoo bottle

Fabricated with $2 DigiKey tilt switch sensor soldered to wire

Demo Dino shows tilt switch in action by holding his head upright

On

Off

TAP SWITCH DESIGN PROCESS:

Tap Switch made from cardboard box and conductive tape

Tap Switch on a yogurt container with playdough added to create more stability

Made with a second layer of conductive tape to add texture and visibility

Demo Dino uses tap switch mounted on an adjustable phone holder

RESULTS:

Performance evaluation from clinicians, family members, and designers of various switches comparing 10 design characteristics

Ablenet Big Red Switch $75

Soft Switch $6

Tilt Switch $4

Tap Switch $3

Button Switch

$4

Pool Noodle Switch $3

CONCLUSION:

    • Each switch was able to be adapted with a low cost design for each participant
    • Switch evaluators preferred the button switch over other switches, even the commercial switch
    • The other switches were comparable with the commercial switch. However, the soft switch needs improvement in multiple domains.

NEXT STEPS:

    • Iterate designs to reduce weak points determined during switch evaluations.
    • Experiments to quantify the switch use will be conducted to see if there is an increase in child’s engagement during physical therapy

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REFERENCES:

[1] Lifter, Karin, et al. 2011, Infants & Young Children

SCAN

FOR DIGITAL POSTER

Funded by CREATE Translation Grant

Tablet

DIY Soft Switch