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Innovative Toy for Handicapped Children

This project aims to develop an affordable and safe toy that improves visual tracking skills for mentally handicapped children with visual deficiencies. The toy will be engaging, durable, and promote the utilization of other skills such as fine motor skills and reasoning.

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Innovative Toy for Handicapped Children

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  1. 2001-2002 BME Senior Design Project Toy for Handicapped Child Theresa Carr Adrienne Dula

  2. Advisor: Ms. Reesi Davis Special Education Teacher Tom Joy Elementary School

  3. Background/Market Potential: • Roughly 2% of pre-school and school-aged children in the United States are mentally handicapped and also suffer from visual deficiencies • 4% of non-handicapped children also exhibit deficiencies in their visual tracking skills

  4. Similar Products: • Most products that help improve visual tracking abilities are designed for adults and are too complicated for handicapped children • There are few toys available on the market that: • make children utilize their tracking/pursuit eye movements • keep child’s attention • are safe for handicapped child use • are inexpensive

  5. Jonathon:

  6. Teresita:

  7. Criteria for Toy: • After observing the children in Ms. Davis’s class room and discussing her desires for the toy decided on priorities: • Priorities (in order of rank): • Safe • Keep child entertained (fun) • Improve visual tracking skills • Durable • Utilize other skills (fine motor skills/reasoning) • Affordable

  8. Diagram of Problem Formulation

  9. Schematic of Proposed Toy

  10. Physical Materials: • Tubing: clear/transparent corrugated 4” diameter • Base: white plastic shelves 4’ height • Connectors: Dryer vent connectors white plastic

  11. Assembled Frame

  12. Circuitry Materials: • Motion Sensor: • Switch • Circuitry LEDs SET Q Flip-Flop RESET Oscillator 9 V battery Q 12-bit Counter Clear Freq=250Hz counts to 212 = 4096

  13. Preliminary Budget: • Tubing $20.00 • Frame/Base $30.00 • Connectors $20.00 • Nails/Screws/Tools $20.00 • Electrical Components $50.00 • Balls $ 5.00 Estimated Total $145.00

  14. Testing: • InSight 2: InColor • visual search task that utilizes a choice reaction time procedure • Subject presented with arrays of 2,8, and 32 stimulus items and must accurately decide whether the target stimulus is present or absent (press “P” or “A” on keyboard) • Choice of stimulus items: E F

  15. Testing: • Each trial is timed and data is analyzed after 36 trials • Example arrays:

  16. Completed Work: • Obtained permission slips for and pictures of children • Assembled base and frame • Contacted Harris-Hillman, Park Ave. Preschool (vision program) • Completed DesignSafe Analysis • Completed Innovation Workbench Analysis • Designed schematic for prototype circuitry

  17. Current Work: • Bi-weekly visits to Tom Joy Elementary • Test visual tracking skills of handicapped and pre-school aged children pre and post toy • Complete prototype circuitry for lighting system • Paint base/frame • Assemble finalized electrical circuitry • Wire-wrap, secure LEDs, battery power

  18. Future Work: • Test initial visual pursuit ability of children • Assemble sensor and lights for toy • Assemble entire device and present to child • Finalized cost analysis of device • Test visual tracking skills of child after repeated use of toy

  19. Contact Information: http://vubme.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/group25_01/ Theresa Carr e-mail: theresa.d.carr@vanderbilt.edu Adrienne Dula e-mail: adrienne.n.dula@vanderbilt.edu

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