DanceCraft: A whole-body interactive system for children with autism

Abstract

Children with autism often have sensory processing differences that can lead to a myriad of challenges, including difficulty with awareness of how their bodies occupy physical space. Natural User Interfaces (NUI) can help augment therapies already being implemented to support these children. We developed DanceCraft, a whole-body interface to augment dance therapy for children with autism. In a pilot study, we deployed DanceCraft to nine homes for one week for children with autism to use. We received feedback on both the system's central activity (dance), as well as elements of its design and set up, offering lessons to guide future deployments of such systems.