Abstract
By the age of five years, a child ought to have
mastered the corresponding expertise of bilateral integration,
utilizing both sides of the body simultaneously, called “crossing
the midline”. This means that when a child who has difficulty
crossing the midline is confronted with actions that require the
midline to be crossed, the child is unable to perform the action in
the correct manner. When the midline is crossed spontaneously,
paths in the brain are developed. This skill is essential for the
advancement of various motor and cognitive skills. Children who
have trouble crossing the body’s midline, frequently experience
difficulties with mundane, day to day activities. Understanding
the challenges children who suffer from crossing the midline
face, this paper focuses on the creation of an interactive game
and particularly the development of an input device that could be
used by children. It is postulated that the playing of an interactive
game forms the required pathways to conduct movements that
once did not seem comfortable or possible for the child. During
development of the interactive game the guidance of occupational
therapists was sought. What is unique about this project is the
successful design of an affordable device, that can accurately
simulate and guide the movement of the child in the process
of treating their difficulty of crossing the midline. The project
further provides scope for other gross and fine motor difficulties
children have to be treated.