ATHWEL: Gamification Supportive Tool for Special Educational Centers in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Learning Disability is a neurologically-based problem which involves in learning basic skills such as reading, writing and math. Intellectual Disability is characterized by below-average intelligence. Children with Intellectual Disability can do and learn new skills, but they learn them more slowly than average children of their age. Game-based learning is an effective way of getting learners actively involved in educational activities. Educating children with Intellectual Disability is a challenging process. They usually learn and progress more slowly than average children. Such children may have issues with motivation and interest in education; the use of Gamification approach becomes important as a motivational and interested affordance. A prototype desktop Gamification Supportive Tool called “ATHWELA” is proposed which operates through Assistive Technology. Assistive technology can be a device or a service that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Children with Intellectual Disability can be less interested in Mathematics, some can be not good in reading and some can be not good in writing. ATHWELA is targeting at increasing, maintaining, or improving these three points and ATHWELA can be used in special education classrooms as a tool of gratification and extrinsic motivation. Points and rewards will be presented as the motivational technique. The main objective of our research is to help children with Intellectual Disability with their primary educational skills with less effort and in an interactive way and this prototype desktop application is developed in the Sinhala language because the Sinhala is the mother-tongue of Sri Lanka. In addition, it has used Machine Learning and Image Processing techniques to improve the educational skills of children with Intellectual Disability.