Automated tool for assessing child development

Abstract

To provide a novel tool for assessing child development.SOLUTION: A novel tool is provided, compromising an assessment device 10 including a microprocessor, camera, microphone and a touch-enabled screen 56; a platform 12 for holding the assessment device 10 in a vertical position; and an activity pad 16 having boundaries for activities. The camera of the assessment device 10 captures video recordings of assessment exercises performed on the activity pad 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to child development assessment tools, and more specifically to tools for assessing a child's language, cognitive, and fine motor skills. [Background technology]

[0002] Teachers, specialists, and pediatricians need to spend some time with children to assess their development, especially language, cognitive, and fine motor skills. Each child has a different level of development in each of these areas. It takes some time for teachers, specialists, and pediatricians to assess a group of students. Each child needs to be evaluated individually.

[0003] Tests and questionnaires are developed to test specific skill sets. Children are prompted to answer questions. Teachers, experts, and pediatricians need to take some time to evaluate the results of such tests and questionnaires.

[0004] Digital devices and tests are being developed to reach more children. Patent Document 1 discloses an automated learning tool for child development. Products such as toys, games, and books are analyzed, and data on personal characteristics required to use the products is input into a computer system. Information on the child's sensory learning preferences, hobbies, interests, academic performance, medical conditions, social habits, emotional attitudes, and nutritional habits is input into the computer system. The system matches the child's data with the product data, and parents can select appropriate learning tools for their children.

[0005] Patent document 2 describes a system for adapting lessons to students' needs, which generates data for each student, i.e. data on the student's interaction with the educational system, analyzes the data to identify clusters according to a mathematical model, and adapts the educational system to provide a customized learning experience for a particular student based on the identified clusters.

[0006] Patent Document 3 discloses an automated assessment of cognitive, fine motor, and memory abilities. The automated assessment uses sensors integrated into the geometric blocks. The blocks are monitored in real time during each interactive session, including the acceleration of the blocks, the time to complete the assembly phase, the time to complete the quiz, and the accuracy of the assembly steps. Various assessment tools exist. It is desirable to devise a tool to assess child development using existing mobile phone features. The objective of the present invention is to assess child development using multiple features of a mobile phone. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 5,122,952 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Pat. No. 10,347,148 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent No. 11,183,075 Summary of the Invention

[0008] A new computer-implemented tool for assessing child development is described, which includes a system having an assessment device with a microprocessor configured to include a graphical user interface, the assessment device being a smart device having a camera, a microphone, and a touch-enabled screen.

[0009] The platform is used to hold the assessment device in a stable position for easy manipulation by the child. The activity pad provides boundaries for carrying out activities. The boundaries are adjusted to fit within the field of view of the camera.

[0010] A series of assessment tasks are presented to the child via the touch-enabled screen. The assessment tasks are to be performed within the boundaries of the activity pad. A video recording of the assessment tasks performed is captured. Assessment tasks include but are not limited to drawing activities, building blocks, speech prompts, listening comprehension and object identification.

[0011] The video recording images are processed to identify performance characteristics of the child, which are based on distributions of data sets of the child's fine motor skills, language skills, and cognitive skills.

[0012] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an evaluation device and platform according to the present invention.

[0014] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the assessment device and activity pad.

[0015] [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of the drawing task. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of the drawing task.

[0016] [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the building blocks task.

[0017] [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of speech facilitation. [Figure 5B]FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of speech facilitation.

[0018] [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of a verbal question and multiple choice response. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of a verbal question and multiple choice responses.

[0019] [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of presented objects and multiple choice answers. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of the presented objects and multiple choice answers.

[0020] [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram of presented objects and multiple choice answers. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram of the presented objects and multiple choice answers.

[0021] [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the operation of the evaluation device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] An illustrative example is provided of how to set up the automated tool and use it for assessment. The automated tool is targeted to children aged 3 to 5 years. The assessment tool can be adapted to target children of other ages and children with learning disabilities.

[0023] First, the hardware of one embodiment of the tool will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The heart of the tool is in an evaluation device 10 including a microprocessor configured to include a graphical user interface, said evaluation device being a smart device having a camera, a microphone and a touch-enabled screen 56.

[0024] The evaluation device can be in the form of a mobile device, a smartphone, a tablet, a gaming console, or an assembled computer. A smartphone is used as an example because it has the necessary hardware to perform the evaluation.

[0025] The platform 12 holds the evaluation device 10 such that the touch-enabled screen 56 is in a stable position suitable for child manipulation. The evaluation device is held vertically for ease of manipulation. The platform 12 is adapted to fit the particular evaluation device 10. The platform 12 can be designed to look like an animal, such as a cat, and thus includes cat ears design elements for child familiarity.

[0026] A ramp 14 is attached next to the platform. An activity pad 16 can be deployed from the ramp 14. The activity pad 16 is provided with a boundary 18 for carrying out an activity. The boundary 18 is adjusted to be within the field of view of the camera.

[0027] As part of the assessment task, a drawing paper 20, a pen 22, and a cube 24 are used. The drawing paper 20 and the pen 22 are to be manipulated by the child within the field of view of the camera. There are also provided 12 cubes 24. The use of the drawing paper and the cubes is described below.

[0028] Next, we will explain some examples of assessment tasks. The first assessment is to draw a picture on a piece of drawing paper.

[0029] The child is presented with a series of assessment tasks, in particular a drawing task. The child is presented with a drawing paper 20. The assessment device asks the child to draw a vertical line. The child then has to use the pen 22 to draw a vertical line at a specified location on the drawing paper 20. Next, the child is asked to draw a horizontal line, followed by a circle.

[0030] The assessor can ask the child to draw other shapes, such as the square shown in Figure 3A and the person shown in Figure 3B. The camera captures a video recording of the drawing.

[0031] The second type of assessment is the building blocks task. As shown in Figure 4, the child is instructed to stack six blocks 24. The blocks 24 are stacked on the dotted line guides 26 so that the stacked blocks are within the field of view of the camera. The camera captures a video recording of the stacked blocks 24.

[0032] The third type of assessment is one that uses speech prompts. For example, as shown in Figure 5A, the assessor asks the child what color the balloon is. The child is prompted to respond. The assessor can also ask, "Men are big, and babies are?" as shown in Figure 5B. Video recordings are made to capture verbal responses.

[0033] A fourth type of assessment uses verbal questions and multiple choice responses. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the assessor may ask the child to identify a cat while four multiple choice responses 28 are displayed on the touch-enabled screen: a car, a ball, a pencil, and a cat. As shown in FIG. 6B, the assessor may ask the child to identify the letter "z" while four multiple choice responses 28 are displayed on the touch-enabled screen: the letter i, the letter g, the letter p, the letter z, and the letter a. The answer the child touches is recorded.

[0034] A fifth type of assessment uses presentation and matching of objects 30. The assessor can ask the child to match the displayed object with a multiple choice answer 28. As shown in Figure 7A, the child can be shown a circle and asked to identify the circle among three multiple choice objects. Then, as shown in Figure 7B, the child can be shown a star (*) and asked to identify the star among four multiple choice objects.

[0035] A sixth type of assessment is one that uses memory. As shown in FIG. 8A, the assessor can ask the child to look at three objects 30: a cat, an apple, and a teddy bear. Eight objects are then displayed on the screen as multiple choice answers 28. The assessor asks the child to point out the three objects 30 shown earlier. As shown in FIG. 8B, another type of memory is shown where five objects 30 are displayed: a cat, an apple, a chair, a cat, and a cup. The child is asked to remember the objects and their positions. The object is then inverted to hide the object as a multiple choice answer 28. The child is asked to identify the object, for example, a cat.

[0036] The implementation and grading of the assessment tasks will be explained with reference to Figure 9.

[0037] The first assessment uses drawing paper and a drawing 32 is captured by a camera 34 in the form of a video recording 36. The image of the drawing is processed via artificial intelligence 38. Performance characteristics representative of the child's fine motor skills are determined based on the distribution of a dataset 40 of children's fine motor skills. Pen grip may also be analyzed.

[0038] The second assessment involves the use of blocks, where the stack 24 is captured by the camera 34 in the form of a video recording 42. The images of the stack are processed via artificial intelligence 44. Performance characteristics representative of the child's fine motor skills are determined based on the distribution of the child's fine motor skills dataset 40. The manner in which the blocks are stacked, i.e., one at a time or two at a time, is also assessed.

[0039] The third assessment uses speech prompting, where speech is captured by camera 34 and microphone 46 in the form of a video recording 48. The speech audio is processed via artificial intelligence 50. Performance characteristics representative of the child's language ability are determined based on the distribution of a dataset 52 of child language abilities.

[0040] The fourth assessment uses listening comprehension and discrimination with multiple choice responses 54 on a touch-enabled screen 56. Touch selections are processed via artificial intelligence. Performance characteristics representative of the child's language ability are determined based on the distribution of the child's language ability dataset 52.

[0041] The fifth assessment uses vision and matching with multiple choice responses 58 on a touch-enabled screen 56. Touch selections are processed via artificial intelligence. A performance characteristic representative of the child's cognitive ability is determined based on a distribution of a dataset 60 of child cognitive abilities.

[0042] The sixth assessment uses memory and discrimination using multiple choice responses 62 on a touch-enabled screen 56. Touch selections are processed via artificial intelligence. A performance characteristic representative of the child's cognitive ability is determined based on a distribution of a dataset 60 of child cognitive abilities.

[0043] A distribution of data sets of children's fine motor skills, language skills, and cognitive scores were collected in a study that included drawing, building blocks, vocabulary, speech, vision, and memory routes. The data was obtained from a study of a large number of children. One skilled in the art could adapt other skills as part of the assessment.

[0044] Image and audio processing includes analysis of eye contact, concentration, emotion, posture and voice quality. The time it takes to complete each task is also assessed.

[0045] The tool can recognize developmental strengths and suggest individualized learning content to enhance children's learning experiences. It can also identify developmental concerns and suggest areas for further evaluation if intervention is required. The tool can address issues of access and cost of evaluation in developing countries.

[0046] Thus, the present invention discloses a tool for assessing child development. Although the above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments, but merely as illustrative of some of the presently preferred embodiments.

Claims

1. 1. A computer-implemented method for assessing child development, comprising: providing a system having an evaluation device (10) with a microprocessor configured to include a graphical user interface, said evaluation device being a smart device, said smart device having a camera (34), a microphone (46) and a touch-enabled screen (56); providing a platform (12) for holding the touch-enabled screen (56) in a stable position for easy operation by the child; providing an activity pad (16), said activity pad (16) having a boundary (18) for an activity to be performed, said boundary (18) adapted to be within a field of view of said camera (34); presenting a series of assessment tasks to the child via the touch-enabled screen (56), the assessment tasks being performed within the boundaries (18) of the activity pad (16); adapting the camera (34) to capture a video recording of the assessment task performed on the activity pad (16); processing the images from the video recording using artificial intelligence to identify performance characteristics representative of the child's fine motor skills, the performance characteristics being based on a distribution of a dataset (40) of children's fine motor skills; A method comprising:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the child with a series of assessment tasks is performed using a series of drawing tasks, and pictorial images are processed to determine the child's fine motor skills.

3. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the child with a series of assessment tasks is performed using a series of building block tasks, and images of stacked blocks are processed to determine the child's fine motor skills.

4. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: presenting the child with a series of assessment tasks including speech prompts; capturing a video recording of the child responding to the speech prompts; and processing audio of the video recording of the child responding to the speech prompts using artificial intelligence, wherein the processing of the audio is to identify performance characteristics indicative of the child's language ability, the performance characteristics being based on a distribution of a dataset of child language abilities.

5. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: presenting the child with a series of assessment tasks including verbal questions and multiple choice responses on the touch-enabled screen; capturing the child's touch selections on the touch-enabled screen; and processing the child's touch selections in response to the verbal questions using artificial intelligence, the processing of the touch selections to identify performance characteristics indicative of the child's language ability, the performance characteristics based on a distribution of a dataset of children's language abilities.

6. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: presenting the child with a series of assessment tasks including objects displayed on the touch-enabled screen and multiple choice responses; capturing touch selections of the child on the touch-enabled screen; and processing the child's touch selections responsive to the displayed objects using artificial intelligence, the processing of the touch selections to identify a performance characteristic indicative of the child's cognitive ability, the performance characteristic being based on a distribution of a dataset of children's cognitive abilities.

7. 1. A computer system for assessing child development, comprising: a microprocessor configured to include a graphical user interface; A camera (34); A microphone (46); A touch-enabled screen (56); and a platform (12) adapted to hold the touch-enabled screen (56) in a stable position for easy child operation; an activity pad (16) having a boundary for an activity to be performed, said boundary adapted to fit within the field of view of said camera (34); A non-transitory computer-readable medium that collectively stores instructions that, when executed by the microprocessor, cause the computer system to perform operations, the operations including: presenting a series of assessment tasks to the child via the touch-enabled screen; adapting an assessor to capture a video recording of the assessment task on the activity pad; processing the images from the video recording using artificial intelligence to identify performance characteristics representative of the child's fine motor skills, the performance characteristics being based on a distribution of a dataset of children's fine motor skills; 2. A computer system comprising:

8. 8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the act of presenting the child with a series of assessment tasks is performed using a series of drawing tasks, and pictorial images are processed to determine the child's fine motor skills.

9. 8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the act of presenting the child with a series of assessment tasks is performed using a series of building block tasks, and images of stacked blocks are processed to determine the child's fine motor skills.

10. 8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the operation of presenting the child with a series of assessment tasks further includes speech prompts, and further comprises the steps of capturing a video recording of the child responding to the speech prompts, and processing audio of the video recording of the child responding to the speech prompts using artificial intelligence, wherein the processing of the audio is to identify performance characteristics indicative of the child's language ability, the performance characteristics being based on a distribution of a dataset of child language abilities.

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