Monday, 9 July 2018

Virtual Realities And Interactive Games To Stimulate Physical And Cognitive Activity

“Terapia in vacanza”, the summer camp organized by ODFLab for children with autism spectrum disorders, just came to an end

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A personalized daily training in the multisensory room especially designed to meet the needs of each guest: this was the main novelty of the fifth edition of “Terapia in vacanza” which has just ended in Casa Sebastiano in Coredo (TN). It is like a dive into virtual reality and interactive games, a synaesthesia of images, colours, sounds and fragrances to stimulate physical and cognitive abilities.

The project, managed by ODFLab (the Observation, Diagnosis and Education Laboratory of the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science of the University of Trento), consists of an intensive rehabilitation programme that takes place in a relaxed and friendly setting for boys and girls with autism spectrum disorders and their families. For the second year, “Terapia in Vacanza” took place at Casa Sebastiano from 25 to 29 June and from 2 to 6 July. This year’s participants were 26 children in the 2-8 years age group.

The programme, one of the few of its kind in Italy, is organized according to specific work methods for people with autism in line with various international studies that provided the basis for the education and training of ODFLab staff.

The interactive multisensory room installed at Casa Sebastiano is an effective therapeutic tool in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders because it has positive effects on areas of difficulty. The system creates virtual realities for children to explore and interactive games that are controlled by the user's gestural movement, therefore users interact with images, colours, sounds and fragrances and their physical and cognitive activity is stimulated.

This happens in a pleasant setting to support sensory integration, which is complex in people with autism, while also aiming to enhance their executive functions through association activities, integration, and basic learning. The purchase of the interactive multisensory room was funded by Rotary Foundation International with the support of Rotary Club Trentino Nord.

The programme is carried out by psychologists specialized in ASD rehabilitation, supervised by the director of ODFLab, Paola Venuti, with support from students who are doing an internship in the framework of the master's degree in Psychology (majoring in Neuroscience), and psychology graduates who are gaining some professional experience.

The programme is also an important training opportunity both for the team and the master’s students, as it encourages information exchange, joint problem solving strategies, cross-sectoral and mutual learning, skills that are crucial to become valuable professionals.

In addition to the activities designed for the multisensory room, the guests participated in music therapy, cognitive activation exercises, tasks to improve social-relational skills, practiced their language and communication skills, worked on their motor skills with dance/movement therapy and had integrative group activities.

Casa Sebastiano, created by Fondazione Trentina per l'Autismo and inaugurated in April 2017, is committed to respond to the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The facility opened with programmes aimed at teenagers and young adults selected by the Provincial Healthcare Services and has grown to the point that it offers rehabilitation and psycho-educational programmes based on the Italian rehabilitation model for children with autism spectrum disorders. The programmes and research on the multisensory room will continue during the summer.

For further information about Casa Sebastiano and Fondazione Trentina per l’Autismo please visit http://www.fondazionetrentinaautismo.it/it/