Peripherals/Child Friendly Mouse: Difference between revisions

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Young children have not yet fully developed their motor skills (fine motor skills in the hand and fingers typically develop fully between the ages of 5 and 6) and have trouble using traditional mouse buttons. Studies show they click next to targets. The act of pressing down is not intuitive, causing problems with “drag & drop.” Kids tend to grip all their fingers at the same time, thus squeezing the mouse rather than “clicking.” This leads to frustration and detracts from the educational experience.
Many young children don’t have well-developed motor skills (fine motor skills in the hand and fingers typically develop fully between the ages of 5 and 6) and often have trouble using a traditional mouse or touchpad. This can lead to frustration and detract from the educational experience.


*Some mice made by Apple use the entire body of the mouse as a single button.
The Child Friendly Mouse was invented by Curtis Whitcomb, a pediatric clinical audiologist and developed with assistance from Dr. Carrie Mori, a pediatric occupational therapist. It seeks to solve the issues facing children when they use a traditional "PS/2" mouse. It fits neatly in small hands and makes the mouse easy to use by including:
* a tactile plate that nestles child’s fingers
* a single mouse button which avoids unwanted “right-click” activities
* no top mouse buttons
* light, sound and/or vibration feedback possible


*A track ball works for some children. It can be easier to coordinate than a mouse, with the positioning -- rolling the ball, and selection -- clicking a button on the base actions separated. Being self contained, the track ball also removes the need for a relatively clean and smooth surface to operate on.
[http://wiki.laptop.org/images/e/e7/Mouse_Squeeze_Flyer.pdf Additional Information]

*The pressure-sensitive bump in the middle of the keyboard on some laptops may be a good option. It is certainly resistant to fouling with debris.

*The "analog" thumb joysicks found on many Nintendo controllers are proven with kids.


[[category:peripherals]]
[[category:peripherals]]

Latest revision as of 09:14, 12 January 2008

Many young children don’t have well-developed motor skills (fine motor skills in the hand and fingers typically develop fully between the ages of 5 and 6) and often have trouble using a traditional mouse or touchpad. This can lead to frustration and detract from the educational experience.

  • Some mice made by Apple use the entire body of the mouse as a single button.
  • A track ball works for some children. It can be easier to coordinate than a mouse, with the positioning -- rolling the ball, and selection -- clicking a button on the base actions separated. Being self contained, the track ball also removes the need for a relatively clean and smooth surface to operate on.
  • The pressure-sensitive bump in the middle of the keyboard on some laptops may be a good option. It is certainly resistant to fouling with debris.
  • The "analog" thumb joysicks found on many Nintendo controllers are proven with kids.
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