Abstract

This research tries to investigate the technical contribution on improving the social interaction of hearing-impaired children from low income families in Saudi Arabia. It compares the social interaction skills of hearing-impaired children who do and do not have access to IPads. To achieve the goals of the study; seventeen children aged five-years-old were given access for the first time to iPads to enhance their social skills.

The researcher downloaded 10 educational games on to the iPads and gave each family one iPad whom their child was required to play with the iPad for three hours daily. The researcher used the Child’s Social Interaction Scale CSIS as a pre- or post-application measurement to assess the hearing-impaired children’s social interaction skills.

Results of the study showed that hearing-impaired children can make all behaviours that are essential to successful social interaction. Also, these children become more sociable, saying thank you, apologising to others, following rules and waiting for a turn. In light of the results, the researcher recommended commercial companies who create games for children to pay attention to hearing-impaired children and develop techniques to help them play with these games in order to develop their interaction social skills alongside normally hearing children.

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