Non pharmacological intervention for the improvement of cognitive skills of adults with Intellectual Disabilities (Mild and Moderate Intellectual Disability, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome): mixed method study protocol for Game4CoSkills project (Preprint)

Abstract

Intellectual Disability (ID) refers not only for people with diagnosis of severe ID, but also for people with mild or moderate ID, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down Syndrome (DS). Serious games have been developed for the improvement of the attention, learning skills, and working memory of students with ID and problem solving, decision making, daily life activities (reading, shopping, calculating) of the adults with ID, but there is a gap about other cognitive skills such as visual recognition of colors, calculation, logic, attention to details, dexterity, multitasking, memory, and accuracy. Based on the literature, there is a big need to be created new games for the cognitive skills development and health professionals to be able to use them as interventional tools. Mobile games are an innovation referring to the serious games category since they can be played everywhere without limitations. The primary objectives of this study are to improve the main cognitive functions of the participants through the “Games4CoSkills” intervention. The secondary objectives are to develop a standard intervention for people with ID based on a new serious game, to improve their quality of life and to create a game based on the mobile phone thus, adults with ID can interact with it even at their homes. The study will be conducted in three stages: (1) evaluation of the cognitive skills of adults with ID by their health professionals (last month assessment and includes a two-part questionnaire: a. health professionals’ demographic data and b. cognitive functions of the adults and their diagnosis), (2) observational study to detect the level of cognitive skills of adults with ID (for the duration of this stage will be two weeks and includes the teaching scenarios of activities for the improvement of cognitive abilities) and after six months will be created the mobile game and will be conducted the stage of (3) quasi-experimental study, intervention. The intervention will last four (4) months, participants will play the mobile game that supports their cognitive functions enhancement. Participants (adults with mild and moderate ID, MCI, ASD and DS) will assign to the intervention group (N = 120) (20 from each country). Trainers of this study will be sixty (60) health professionals (10 from each country). The results of the ongoing controlled trial will determine whether the mobile game, can be recommended for the systematic usage and the improvement of the cognitive skills of adults with ID as a tool of intervention and as a mobile game with entertaining and educational character at home. This study aims to bridge a gap in the prior work by demonstrating in more cognitive capabilities (8 cognitive skills) if a mobile game can be effective in improving these skills. This study's innovation refers to the methodology that will be used during the investigation as well as the possibility of developing more complicated mobile games for further investigation and intervention. Adults with ID will be motivated to interact and practice their abilities, to do their best and feel more active, to keep up with their trainers and new technology, and this will have a beneficial impact in all areas.