Learning Through Games: An Approach for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to increased online learning for students, including children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, the need for social distancing has interrupted the delivery of continuing education for ASD children. ASD emerges in early childhood, which may cause interruptions in numerous essential areas of progress in daily life. Therefore, we proposed a mobile game, namely Basic Daily Life (BasLife) game, for ASD children. The game offered positive affection and an enjoyable experience in learning sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology was implemented to produce the BasLife game. The RAD methodology consists of four phases: Requirement Planning Phase, User Design Phase, Development Phase, and Cutover Phase. The EGame Flow Model was applied as a guideline to develop an enjoyable game during the User Design Phase and Development Phase. Keenly, the study results produce theBasLifegame as a learning approach for ASD children that would tackle the interpersonal skills and create an enjoyable learning experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.