A unified, neuro-physio platform to facilitate collaborative play in children with learning disabilities

While society is partly responsible for a feeling of isolation among children with learning disabilities, this isolation is exacerbated by the child's inability to adjust psychosocially. The authors hypothesize that social inclusion will be a natural outcome if technology can restore or assist the ability of basic self-expression and self-growth. One of the most promising methods of expression for children with learning disabilities is through play, both individual and collaborative. The "Unified neuro-physio platform" explained in this paper focuses on the current development for a low cost signal acquisition and processing architecture aimed at making it easier for children to express themselves in play, both alone and collaboratively, using bio- signals like surface electromyography (SEMG) and electroencephalography (EEG). It is part of a larger study to develop an "active" play device to help children with learning disabilities. The significance of the collaborative play approach is that it not only makes a child more self-sufficient but also opens up the possibility of this child helping and training another child through play, thus giving the child an opportunity for social inclusion from a position of strength. The setup of such a neuro-physio platform, system description, methods used and results obtained are described in this paper.