Dreamscape: gamifying cognitive functions

Abstract

One of the significant challenges faced by people with Down syndrome is the presence of weaknesses in cognitive functions, including memory, attention, problem solving, and executive skills. These cognitive weaknesses can limit people’s ability to fully participate in education, daily life and social interaction, and in turn face various challenges associated with cognitive weaknesses such as learning limitations, reduced independence, communication difficulties, lack of autonomy and work challenges. In many foundations that assist people with Trisomy 21, teaching is based on traditional approaches such as the Troncoso method, which is often characterized by its repetitiveness and lack of variety, which represents a scarcity of effective and attractive tools for learning, which can restrict their potential development. Through the Dreamscape tool, the aim is to verify the improvement of cognitive, attention and language functions in people with Down syndrome. It was based on an experimental design that evaluated the impact of Dreamscape, where tests were applied with the game on different occasions, evaluating cognitive skills such as attention and language. The evaluated subjects showed significant improvements in these skills after interacting with the games. This project represents an important step towards creating inclusive and exciting solutions for cognitive development, highlighting gamification in education to improve cognitive health.