A Serious Game to Train Rhythmic Abilities in Children With Dyslexia: Feasibility and Usability Study
BackgroundRhythm perception and production are related to phonological awareness and reading performance, and rhythmic deficits have been reported in dyslexia. In addition, rhythm-based interventions can improve cognitive function, and there is consistent evidence suggesting...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2024-01-01
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| Series: | JMIR Serious Games |
| Online Access: | https://games.jmir.org/2024/1/e42733 |
| _version_ | 1797357380728520704 |
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| author | Francois Vonthron Antoine Yuen Hugues Pellerin David Cohen Charline Grossard |
| author_facet | Francois Vonthron Antoine Yuen Hugues Pellerin David Cohen Charline Grossard |
| author_sort | Francois Vonthron |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundRhythm perception and production are related to phonological awareness and reading performance, and rhythmic deficits have been reported in dyslexia. In addition, rhythm-based interventions can improve cognitive function, and there is consistent evidence suggesting that they are an efficient tool for training reading skills in dyslexia.
ObjectiveThis paper describes a rhythmic training protocol for children with dyslexia provided through a serious game (SG) called Mila-Learn and the methodology used to test its usability.
MethodsWe computed Mila-Learn, an SG that makes training remotely accessible and consistently reproducible and follows an educative agenda using Unity (Unity Technologies). The SG’s development was informed by 2 studies conducted during the French COVID-19 lockdowns. Study 1 was a feasibility study evaluating the autonomous use of Mila-Learn with 2500 children with reading deficits. Data were analyzed from a subsample of 525 children who spontaneously played at least 15 (median 42) games. Study 2, following the same real-life setting as study 1, evaluated the usability of an enhanced version of Mila-Learn over 6 months in a sample of 3337 children. The analysis was carried out in 98 children with available diagnoses.
ResultsBenefiting from study 1 feedback, we improved Mila-Learn to enhance motivation and learning by adding specific features, including customization, storylines, humor, and increasing difficulty. Linear mixed models showed that performance improved over time. The scores were better for older children (P<.001), children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (P<.001), and children with dyslexia (P<.001). Performance improved significantly faster in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (β=.06; t3754=3.91; P<.001) and slower in children with dyslexia (β=−.06; t3816=–5.08; P<.001).
ConclusionsGiven these encouraging results, future work will focus on the clinical evaluation of Mila-Learn through a large double-blind randomized controlled trial comparing Mila-Learn and a placebo game. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:44:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c1962d8c49cd41309cd6f4401f0162d8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2291-9279 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:44:19Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Serious Games |
| spelling | doaj.art-c1962d8c49cd41309cd6f4401f0162d82024-01-11T15:00:32ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Serious Games2291-92792024-01-0112e4273310.2196/42733A Serious Game to Train Rhythmic Abilities in Children With Dyslexia: Feasibility and Usability StudyFrancois Vonthronhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9680-3371Antoine Yuenhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8057-894XHugues Pellerinhttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-4974-9917David Cohenhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3321-7375Charline Grossardhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4850-828X BackgroundRhythm perception and production are related to phonological awareness and reading performance, and rhythmic deficits have been reported in dyslexia. In addition, rhythm-based interventions can improve cognitive function, and there is consistent evidence suggesting that they are an efficient tool for training reading skills in dyslexia. ObjectiveThis paper describes a rhythmic training protocol for children with dyslexia provided through a serious game (SG) called Mila-Learn and the methodology used to test its usability. MethodsWe computed Mila-Learn, an SG that makes training remotely accessible and consistently reproducible and follows an educative agenda using Unity (Unity Technologies). The SG’s development was informed by 2 studies conducted during the French COVID-19 lockdowns. Study 1 was a feasibility study evaluating the autonomous use of Mila-Learn with 2500 children with reading deficits. Data were analyzed from a subsample of 525 children who spontaneously played at least 15 (median 42) games. Study 2, following the same real-life setting as study 1, evaluated the usability of an enhanced version of Mila-Learn over 6 months in a sample of 3337 children. The analysis was carried out in 98 children with available diagnoses. ResultsBenefiting from study 1 feedback, we improved Mila-Learn to enhance motivation and learning by adding specific features, including customization, storylines, humor, and increasing difficulty. Linear mixed models showed that performance improved over time. The scores were better for older children (P<.001), children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (P<.001), and children with dyslexia (P<.001). Performance improved significantly faster in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (β=.06; t3754=3.91; P<.001) and slower in children with dyslexia (β=−.06; t3816=–5.08; P<.001). ConclusionsGiven these encouraging results, future work will focus on the clinical evaluation of Mila-Learn through a large double-blind randomized controlled trial comparing Mila-Learn and a placebo game.https://games.jmir.org/2024/1/e42733 |
| spellingShingle | Francois Vonthron Antoine Yuen Hugues Pellerin David Cohen Charline Grossard A Serious Game to Train Rhythmic Abilities in Children With Dyslexia: Feasibility and Usability Study JMIR Serious Games |
| title | A Serious Game to Train Rhythmic Abilities in Children With Dyslexia: Feasibility and Usability Study |
| title_full | A Serious Game to Train Rhythmic Abilities in Children With Dyslexia: Feasibility and Usability Study |
| title_fullStr | A Serious Game to Train Rhythmic Abilities in Children With Dyslexia: Feasibility and Usability Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Serious Game to Train Rhythmic Abilities in Children With Dyslexia: Feasibility and Usability Study |
| title_short | A Serious Game to Train Rhythmic Abilities in Children With Dyslexia: Feasibility and Usability Study |
| title_sort | serious game to train rhythmic abilities in children with dyslexia feasibility and usability study |
| url | https://games.jmir.org/2024/1/e42733 |
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