Digital Teddy: a tool to assess children´s selective attention

Abstract

[Abstract] Selective attention is essential in daily life and plays an important role in childhood as it facilitates the development of movement or cognition. However, there are not enough standardized tools that are practical in clinical and academic settings. We present a new application, Digital Teddy, developed to perform the standardized Teddy Bear Cancellation Test on a mobile or tablet. 45 typically developed children aged between 2 and 8 performed paper and tablet TBCT in a randomized single test session. Variables were number and location of omissions and location of the three first targets. The DT also registered pointing accuracy and global time. Preliminary data showed that the number of omissions were similar in both original and digital TBC tests. Besides, DT registered more precisely data than the original (accuracy, time, etc.) and could be configured differently according to age or level of attention. Data also revealed very good administrators' satisfaction. Sample size is being expanded in number and medical conditions with risk of having attention deficits. DT might be useful in everyday clinical practice as it requires little time, few human and material resources and domestic and affordable technology, showing similar results as the original test.