TASTER
Between 2014 and 2017, we worked on projects funded by the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research. Kate’s previous research showed that the impairment in attention switching that people with Prader-Willi syndrome can show seems to be linked to the difficulties with changes to routines and plans that people often experience and the temper outbursts that can follow these sorts of changes. The aim of the TASTER project was to develop a switching training game capable of having a positive effect on behaviour. We built a fully functioning prototype video game to train attention switching, tailored specifically for the needs and preferences of children with Prader-Willi syndrome. Following initial positive testing of this prototype, we won further support from the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research to support ongoing development of the game. Collaborators in this work include Prof. Annalu Waller who is director of the ACC research group at the University of Dundee. We have now finished building a fully developed task switching training game (logon: 59IJFYIZ). The fully developed game is capable of motivating children and adults to play for over many hours. For example, one of our participants played for an average of almost 2 hours per day over 5 weeks. We have conducted a placebo controlled evaluation of the impact of engaging with the game on cognition and behaviour and are currently in the process of writing up the results for publication.
