Adaptive Multi-model Machine-Learning and AI Systems for Strengthening the Emotional Well-being of Children with Trisomy 21

Abstract

This research study demonstrates a web application designed to strengthen children's cognitive skills and emotional well-being with Trisomy 21, utilizing interactive and tailored tools. Trisomy 21 is a chromosomal anomaly caused by an extra copy of the 21st chromosome, which affects a child's cognitive development. Despite the technological evolution, a significant gap persists in accessibility and multimodal approaches that meet the unique needs of children with Trisomy 21. The main objective of the research study was to develop a multi-model web-based application, “Mockley kids,” customized for children with Trisomy 21 that helps to enhance their cognitive skills and emotional wellbeing. The developed system integrated an artificial intelligence (AI) powered voice assistance to enhance communication, and learning, an emotion-based music recommender to enhance emotional well-being and provide a calm and uplifting environment, a text-based bot to enhance literacy skills and communication, and interactive games “Who am I?”, “Tic-tac-toe”, “Simon-says” to increase attention span, decision making, which are tailored to enhance their cognitive skills and emotional well-being. The development and implementation of this project follows a structured process aligned with Agile project methodology. To evaluate the “Mockley kids” system’s impact on children with Trisomy 21, 16 children who were diagnosed with Trisomy 21 engaged with the system for 20 minutes for a week, under the supervision of 8 professionals, including 3 speech therapists, 3 occupational therapists, and 2 educators. Overall results show that the children were excited to integrate with the system and enjoyed the system. Both the professionals and the parents stated that they had evident noticeable improvements in cognitive abilities, including enhanced communication, memory recall, enhanced attention span, and improvements in emotional well-being.