Special iApps: Play-based Learning for Children with Severe Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

This paper reports an ongoing study, linked with qualitative research methods and an inductive perspective, on how we can make learning enjoyable for children with severe intellectual disabilities. The teacher interviews mainly focused on the potential of educational apps such as Specual iApps for playful learning with relatively little consideration on technical considerations. The Template Analysis revealed 9 broad themes including Engagement, Fun, Playfulness, Attraction or Appeal, Assessment, Ease of Use, Personalized Learning, Accessibility/ Interactivity, and Reduced Disruptive Behaviour. Based on the analysis of the results and their implications, the paper provides a series of recommendations and directions that can be used as a reference among the software developers and designers to create educational apps for children with complex needs offering real educational value.