Sensorypaint: An Interactive Surface Supporting Sensory Integration in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:  Many children with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, have sensory processing disorders (SPD), which can lead to inappropriate behaviors and impairments. One therapeutic approach to the kinds of SPD frequently observed in children with neurodevelopmental disorders involves the use of a variety of tools including objects with various textures and tactile sensations, mirrors, and Multisensory Environments (MSE) saturated with visual and audible stimuli and specialized equipment for sensory stimulation. However, children with SPD each have a unique prescription for the amount of stimulation they require for the therapy to be effective. MSE must be physically altered before each child receives therapy. SensoryPaint is an interactive surface with the capability of superimposing the user’s reflection on a projected surface and “painting” this surface with balls of different textures and colors, which was designed to augment traditional therapies. 

Objectives:  We conducted two studies to understand the role of interactive surfaces in support of sensory integration: one in the lab and one as an integrated part of existing sensory therapy. These studies focused on uncovering the potential of this technology to support sensory integration, including stimulus sensitivity, body awareness, motor functioning, and attention and engagement.

Methods: We evaluated the impact of SensoryPaint through two studies: a lab-based study of 15 children with neurodevelopmental disorders in which they used the system for one hour and a deployment study with 4 children with autism spectrum disorder for which the system was integrated into existing daily sensory therapy sessions for three weeks. In the lab-based study, the children played with each of the three modes of SensoryPaint, in randomized order, for at least 10 minutes each. They were then given the opportunity to play a mode of their choice for an additional 15 minutes. After the final play session, the children were given short interviews about their experience with the system. In the deployment study, video was captured of each session and weekly interviews with the children, parents, and therapists were conducted. All interviews and observations from both studies were recorded, transcribed, and inspected together using a mixed-methods approach. Additionally, we used both deductive analytical approaches based on our initial questions surrounding the potential for SensoryPaint to improve attention and body awareness and inductive approaches, allowing new themes to emerge from our data.

Results:  Our results demonstrate that using whole body interactions with an interactive surface can capture the attention of children for whom traditional therapies may not be engaging, augment existing therapies, increase body awareness, improve sensory skills, and promote socialization. SensoryPaint was designed for individual use participants often collaboratively used the interface. As a consequence, children improved their social skills when using the system.

Conclusions:   In this work, we designed and developed the SensoryPaint system to explore how interactive surfaces could support occupational and sensory integration therapies for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Our results indicate that integrating tangible and body-based interactions support existing therapeutic goals and provide novel ways to engage that can promote the development of additional skills and abilities.