Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT06319430

Technology in Play for Children With Physical Disabilities: the Dice Model of Play

Play is an important activity for children. Almost all children play, but what is play? It is not easy to define play. In the past, people believed that children played to burn their energy. Now, it is known that play is important for children's growth. Some kids with disabilities cannot play. Many experts use play to teach children specific skills. People often forget that play is a child's right. It is important to help all children play. The first step is to define play and find what features are important in helping a child with a disability play.

There are some models of play. But they are not complete. They do not look at play as a whole. Some models are just about playfulness, and some are about playing with others. Having a model that defines play helps researchers and clinicians think about play and the different parts of it. Then, when a child cannot play, experts can fix the part that is not working. Investigators want to introduce a model of play in this project. Investigators want to edit and complete it in three steps. First, Investigators will ask parents and children with disabilities about things that help or do not help them play; then, investigators will give Lego robots to children that they will build with help and play with them for a few weeks. And at the end, investigators will ask therapists and other experts about our model of play. This model will be edited during the study.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Disability Physical Disabilities Mental Hematologic Diseases Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases Immune System Diseases Immunoproliferative Disorders Leukemia Leukemia, Lymphoid Lymphatic Diseases Lymphoproliferative Disorders Neoplasms Neoplasms by Histologic Type Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma

Age range

3 year–9 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Rehabilitation Centre for Children

Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3G1, Canada

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Liz Hammond

CONTACT

About this study

The study is designed in three phases, employing a mixed-method approach that integrates qualitative and quantitative methods. Phase 1 involves exploring the alignment of the Dice Model of Play with the experiences of 10 children (aged 3-9, diagnosed with different abilities, and typically developed) and their guardians through semi-structured interviews and content analysis; Phase 2 examines the practical application of the model with a cross-over design. Up to 20 children with different abilities will build their Lego robots within a co-design and will play with that robot for four sessions. The other group will play with conventional toys for four sessions. They will switch after finishing those sessions. Sessions will be directed by a master of occupational therapy student supervised by Dr. Jacquie Ripat, a registered occupational therapist in Manitoba. Assessments will be Test of Playfulness (TOP), enjoyment (PPE_DC), and play skills (ChIPPA-2) three times at the start, switching point, and last session. A go-along interview will be conducted in the co-design. Lastly, Phase 3 seeks expert opinions on the revised Dice Model of Play's clarity, relevance, and applicability, using online focus groups with professionals in occupational therapy, psychology, and computer science. The study aims to modify and enhance the model based on the findings from these phases.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Having a disability or typically developed
  • Between 3 to 9 years old
  • Speaking and understanding English or Persian
  • Living in Winnipeg

Exclusion criteria

  • Not receiving play therapy within the last three months

Treatment and study plan

robots

Other

LEGO robots with adaptation according to child's age and developmental skills.

Conventional

Other

A pack of conventional play tools consists of dolls, teddy bears, miniature wild animals, and small cars. All are available, and the child can choose to play with them.

Primary outcomes

  1. Test of Playfulness

    Time frame: before the session 1, after session 8, after session 16, each time 10 to 20 minutes.

    The Test of playfulness (TOP) version 4 (Bundy, 1998) is an observational test that covers four main elements of playfulness: intrinsic motivation, internal control, freedom of reality, and framing within 29 Likert scale related to extent, intensity, and skillfulness and is used for children between 15 months and 18 years old. Upper scores means better play skills, no cut-off score.

  2. The Child Initiated Pretend Play Assessment (ChIPPA-2)

    Time frame: before the session 1, after session 8, after session 16, each time 18 minutes for 3 years old children and 30 minutes for 4-8 years old children.

    The Child Initiated Pretend Play Assessment (ChIPPA-2) provides a play tool pack consisting of two different sets: conventional and symbolic play tools. Percentage of Elaborated Play Actions (PEPA), Number of Object Substitutions (NOS), and Number of Imitations (NIA) are reported for conventional, symbolic, and general pretend play. Higher PEPA and NOS and lower NIA scores show better play skills. There are Z-scores for each age range that child can be compared with typically developed children.

  3. The Pretend Play Enjoyment-Developmental Checklist (PPE-DC)

    Time frame: before the session 1, after session 8, after session 16, each time almost 10 minutes for parents and 10 minutes for researcher.

    The Pretend Play Enjoyment-Developmental Checklist (PPE-DC) measures play enjoyment and covers some aspects of pretend play, such as sequences, storytelling, playing with dolls, object substitution, roleplay, and social interaction, from parents and experts prospectives within two different scoresheets, items are defined for different developmental ages and by choosing one item, the play developmental age in each subcategory can be estimated. Play enjoyment score is better when is higher.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Minoo Dabiri Golchin, Ph.D.

CONTACT

[email protected]

204-789-3897

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Manitoba

Other

Collaborators

  • Rehabilitation Centre for Children, Canada

Registry information

Official study title

The Role of Technology in Facilitating Play for Children With Physical Disabilities: Development of the Dice Model of Play

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Mar 20, 2024
Registry last updated
May 5, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.