Magicarpet: A Parent-child Interactive Game Platform to Enhance Connectivity between Autistic Children and Their Parents

Abstract

Autistic children often face challenges in social interaction and communication, impacting their social connectivity, especially with their parents. Despite the effectiveness of game-based interactive therapy in improving motor skills, research on enhancing parent-child relationships is lacking. We address this gap with Magicarpet, an interactive play carpet that encourages parent-child interaction and has been validated through a user study with five families. The preliminary results indicate that Magicarpet enhances the motivation and participation of autistic children in play, demonstrating the potential of human-computer interaction (HCI) designs to foster connectivity.