Computer Diagnosing and Teaching of the Brain Impaired Children

Abstract:
Many pathologies are cause of brain impairment in children. Also, lesion distribution is distinct for different children even if the same pathology is considered. Teaching the disabled children requires, therefore, the correct identification of the neural impairment and the choice of the right teaching program for each child. ENSCER is a computer system that uses a set of programable educational games to test and teach defined concepts to disabled children. The student performance during the learning sessions is recorded for future analysis. EEG may also be recorded on line to game playing to study the brain activity during the concept learning. ENSCER has being used to test and teach 18 brain injured children since July at a specialized school - Apae Jundia. The analysis of these initial results is very encouraging. The computer provides a very friendly teaching that may be tailored according to the specific requirements of each student. This allows each child to better develop his/her potential skils under an optimal tutoring supported by the adequate understanding of his/her cerebral impairment. The data show that the initial knowledge differences among the children were reduced by the adequate training at the computer.