Thanks to the work of two Michigan academics, a computer program is being used to rehabilitate Ugandan children who are survivors of cerebral malaria.
Michael Boivin, a Michigan State University associate and Bruno Giordani, a University of Michigan associate professor, are leading a project which uses Captain’s Log – a computer game originally used with people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, brain injuries or learning disabilities.
The game is a set of cognitive training programs. It has five modules that help with developmental, visual motor, conceptual and attention skills, as well as numeric concepts.
Every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria - around 1 million every year. Cerebral malaria is a severe form of malaria that affects the brain and is fatal in about 15 percent to 30 percent of the cases for hospitalized children.
The research team hopes this intervention can help cerebral malaria-affected school-age Ugandan children improve their cognitive skills, leading to improvements for both activities of daily living and school-related learning and skill development.
Originally developed in 1985, Captain’s Log is used with children 6 years and older and adults and has been used in a variety of therapeutic, school and home settings in all 50 states, U.S. territories and 23 foreign countries. Also, the program has been adapted for use in a wide range of non-English speaking settings.
Boivin and Giordani have trained a Ugandan study team to help implement and evaluate the program.
This pilot study is supported by a Global Health Research and Training grant from UM and through Boivin’s startup faculty funding.
