Approach to the validation of a smart toy to support the early detection of developmental problems Aproximación a la validación de un juguete inteligente como apoyo en la detección precoz de problemas del desarrollo

Abstract

This article is an approach to the validation of a smart toy (developed within the framework of a larger project called EDUCERE), with the aim of detecting developmental disorders in children, in an early, non invasive manner. The toy consists of a tower of 5 cubes in which sensors have been inserted to measure a
series of parameters. The sample was made up of 68 children between the ages of 24 and 48 months. The Merrill Palmer-R Scales of Development were applied to a sub-sample of 27 children. The results seem to show that the number of cubes used by the children in the construction of a tower, the number of
movements they perform, as well as the speed and acceleration of their movements, are the most relevant variables in the construction of the tower. The execution level in the task of building of the tower –measured by the sensors- is related to various areas of child development, such as gross and fine motor skills, social emotional and cognitive aspects, and the general intelligence level. Of these, gross motor skills are the area of development that differentiates more the children who built the tower correctly from those who did not.
These results support the use of the smart cubes and serve as a precedent for future researches that aim to validate consistently their use in the detection of developmental problems.