This article is based on several studies conducted in the ICT field focussing on children with severe disabilities and their computer use. Topics of interest include how computers are used by children in general, and especially by children with severe disabilities. How effective is technology as support for child development and in daily activities? The main focus is on play and communication/social interaction for child development. The key question is if and how computers are the solution to support development in children in need of special support.

The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille (TPB) published web-based computer games for children with different kinds of visual impairments. As the target groups have very different needs, when it comes to the use of graphics and sound, TPB have developed two kinds of games. Image-based games aim to encourage children with partial sight to practice recognizing visual objects, whereas sound-based games also intend to be accessible without relying on vision. Based on the results of two pilot studies, this paper discusses central design issues of the graphical and sound-based interfaces for this type of application.

This paper discusses the design of audio games, a quite new computer game category that originates from games for players with visual impairments as well as from mainstream music games. In the TiM project (Tactile Interactive Multimedia), SITREC develops three sound-based games that point out new directions for game audio design. The TiM games demonstrate different ways in which games can be designed around an auditory experience. Several unique features of audio games are presented emphasising unexplored potentials for interactivity and future development areas are suggested. SITREC proposes an approach to the design of auditory interfaces that takes three listening modes into consideration: casual listening, semantic listening and reduced listening. A semiotic model is presented that illustrates this view on sound object design and ways in which sounds can be combined. The discourse focuses on issues of continuous display, musicality and clarity, and introduces the notion of "spatialised game soundtracks," as opposed to separated background music and game effect sounds. The main challenge when developing auditory interfaces is to balance functionality and aesthetics. Other important issues are the inclusion of meta-level information in order to achieve a high level of complexity and to provide elements of open-endedness. This refers to planning the overall gameplay, as well as to designing individual sound objects and combining them into complex, interactive soundscapes.

This brief report discusses Information and Communication Technology (ICT), a contemporary phenomenon that can be said to change and affect our life patterns and our opportunities in many situations. A question is what experiences and needs parents and children with disabilities have and how these needs have been created. How do they experience ICT and what role does ICT have in their lives? What is included in the messages contributed by parents and children thus becomes central. The results show that certain skills learned via the computer can lead to social gains, e.g. play and communication with peers. Another result is that new technology can help the child to show his/her skills.

The aim of this study was to describe and analyze differences between girls' and boys' toy collections in a country that strongly emphasizes gender equality (Sweden). The study was based on the assumptions that toy collections reflect social values in the society where they are found and that Sweden has less gendered values than do many other countries. The toy collections of 152 3- and 5-year old Swedish children were inventoried, and the results were analyzed and discussed in relation to previous research on children's toy collections and toy preferences in North America and Western Europe. The Swedish toy collections were found to be gender-typed in ways similar to those reported in previous research in other countries.