Methodology for developing ICT based course material for children with a developmental disability based on EPISODE

Abstract

Education curricula for children with developmental disabilities have attempted to include information and communication technology (ICT) teaching materials. However, such children demonstrate individual differences at the developmental stage of their cognitive faculties. Thus, it is difficult to adopt commercially available ICT teaching materials when working with them. In this study, we introduce the concept of inclusive design in the implementation of ICT teaching materials for children with developmental disabilities. Inclusive design allows for the participation of the elderly as well as those with disabilities at the early stages of development and can be used to identify special needs associated with the development. In addition to ICT teaching materials, the use of Extreme Programming Method for Innovative Software Based on Systems Design (EPISODE), which has agile development and innovation techniques at its core, has been proposed. Therefore, in this study, we attempt to develop a method comprising inclusive design and EPISODE to develop ICT teaching materials. Finally, we report on the practice of developing ICT teaching materials for children with developmental disabilities.