The game and its visual interface were very well received by most of the children who participated in the study. During their first laboratory visit, the large majority showed considerable enthusiasm about trying the game and were excited by the prospect of taking the equipment home. This positive response indicated that the design, musical content, and space-themed visual interface were engaging and appropriate for the target age group. Importantly, the children appeared interested in the game even though it required them to play and coordinate with another person. This was a particularly encouraging observation because the social component was not simply an additional feature of the game; it was central to the purpose of the intervention.
Engagement generally remained high during the first few weeks of home use, although it gradually decreased during the second and third months. Some reduction in interest over a three-month period was expected. One possible explanation is that many of the children learned how to play the game very quickly and were soon able to perform the task with a high degree of accuracy. Once the activity had been mastered, it may have offered less novelty and challenge. In addition, the game included a limited number of songs, meaning that repeated practice may eventually have become less varied and stimulating. These observations suggest several possible improvements for future versions, such as introducing a larger music library, offering different levels of difficulty, and adding new challenges as the player’s ability develops.
Despite the gradual reduction in use, all children played weekly, as requested, and on several occasions multiple times within a given week. These overall qualitative results were highly encouraging. Observations made by the research team, together with feedback provided by parents, indicated that the game was enjoyable, accessible, and appropriate for children with ASD. The positive response also showed that a game centred on shared musical interaction can appeal to children while encouraging them to engage with another person. From a design and feasibility perspective, the project therefore succeeded in producing a functional and promising tool for this population.
The researchers also compared the measures of social functioning collected before and after the intervention. The initial analyses revealed an encouraging pattern of results, suggesting that participation in the musical activity may have been associated with improvements in some aspects of social competence. However, these findings must be interpreted cautiously. Some of the observed effects did not reach conventional levels of statistical reliability, meaning that the available evidence is not yet strong enough to determine with confidence whether the improvements were produced by the intervention rather than by chance or other factors.
A larger group of participants is therefore needed to test whether the observed pattern can be replicated and to provide a more precise estimate of the game’s potential benefits. Using internal resources, the research team is currently continuing recruitment and collecting additional data. Once an adequately sized sample has been reached, the complete dataset will be analysed again. This additional work will be essential for drawing reliable conclusions about the effectiveness of the intervention and for determining what further development, testing, and validation would be required before the game could be considered for broader distribution or commercialization.
