Teaching through gaze: The impact of interactive fairy tales on learning in girls with Rett Syndrome

Digital games have become valuable educational tools for individuals with disabilities, including Rett Syndrome (RTT). This study explores the potential of interactive eye-gaze fairy tales, implemented as Serious Games, to enhance motivation, attention, and memory in girls with RTT. The research was conducted in two phases. Study 1 focused on calibrating the fairy tale elements – such as colors, shapes, and attention-grabbing features – with 22 girls diagnosed with RTT, aiming to determine which aspects most effectively captured their attention. Study 2 involved 28 participants, aged 5 to 33 years, who were divided into experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, participants actively made choices that influenced the story’s progression, while the control group passively observed the narrative. The findings from Study 2 indicate that the experimental group demonstrated consistent performance in recognition tasks, suggesting that interactive engagement positively impacts memory recognition.Additionally, the experimental group exhibited higher happiness levels than the control group, with the difference becoming more pronounced after the initial story presentation. Both groups reported low discomfort levels, indicating that the viewing process was well tolerated. These results suggest that interactive fairy tales can be a beneficial tool for improving motivation and attention in individuals with RTT. The findings support the potential of Serious Games as a promising educational intervention for this population, emphasizing the importance of interactive engagement in enhancing learning outcomes.