Galáxia do Futuro: Um contexto lúdico-narrativo para o desenvolvimento de habilidades sociocognitivas por Role- Playing Game (RPG)

Abstract

Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders face significant challenges in their social, cognitive, and emotional development, whether due to the nature of the disorder itself, as seen in autism, or broader cognitive difficulties, as seen in intellectual disabilities, as well as physical restrictions, as seen in cerebral palsy. Investing in the development of sociocognitive skills is crucial to improve their well-being and promote positive interactions, problem-solving, and achieving their maximum potential. Play is recognized as fundamental to child development, strengthening social skills, creativity, and reasoning. Within this context, Role-Playing Games (RPGs) emerge as a relevant modality, where participants assume fictional roles and collaborate in the construction of interactive narratives. Based on this, this dissertation aimed to develop the Future Galaxy RPG System, a playful therapeutic resource designed to aid in the sociocommunicative development of children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. The RPG format was chosen for being an extremely versatile and cognitively, affectively, and socially challenging rule-based game. This dissertation is structured into five chapters: a) The Introduction presents the theoretical and methodological foundations for the use of RPG for children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders; b) The Methods chapter describes and discusses the procedures adopted for the development of Future Galaxy; c) The Results chapter presents and discusses the general characteristics of Future Galaxy, including the theoretical framework, the idealized narrative setting, the characters, the rules and procedures, the skills developed, etc.; d) Initial analysis of social validity; e) Conclusion. The development of the Future Galaxy RPG System highlighted Role-Playing Game (RPG) as an innovative tool to strengthen the skills of children and adolescents, especially those with neurodevelopmental disorders. By providing an inclusive and playful environment for the exploration of cognitive, affective, and social skills, RPG was considered a promising strategy to fill gaps in child and youth development, according to reports from parents, children, and therapists. The initial results obtained through the Future Galaxy RPG System allowed for the verification of its effects on social interaction, shared attention, and rule compliance, even in children with different cognitive profiles. These results reinforce the need for the development and enhancement of intervention tools that adopt an inclusive, psychosocial, and playful approach through narrative grammar to foster the development of these children, given the importance of socioemotional skills for effective interaction in their social environment.