Impact of a NFC-Based Application with Educational Purposes on Children Affected by Language Disorders

In the past few years, new devices for children and disabilities has proliferated thanks to the development of more and more inexpensive mobile technology and to the availability of free-downloadable software applications. In this work we describe the design, development and testing of an integrated system which combines the use of a tablet, a group of toys (e.g. small plastic animals), Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and a software application with educational purposes. The goals of the device are to improve the structural knowledge and the semantic competences of typically developing and disabled children while offering an entertaining environment.