Polipo: a Tangible Toy for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

The paper presents Polipo, a tangible toy created for children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD). Designed in collaboration with therapists, and tested with six children for five weeks, Polipo offers various opportunities for tangible interaction and a range of multisensory stimuli aimed at promoting the development of fine motor skills. One of the most distinguishing attributes of Polipo is its strong customization capability. The system provides a means for therapists to personalize luminous and sound stimuli; it is equipped with a set of add-ons that therapists can easily and quickly adjust on the basic structure to extend the physical affordances of the tool, offering new tactile stimuli and new manipulation experiences. These design solutions, and the promising results of the on-The-ground trials, highlight the potential of Polipo to address the unique learning needs of each single child with NDD.