Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Cogniaction: A Multiple-Intelligences–aligned Gamified Tablet Battery For Cog-Nitive and Visuomotor Stimulation In Preschool Children With Down Syndrome

Children with Down syndrome (DS) often present cognitive and psychomotor challenges that require inclusive and developmentally appropriate stimulation strategies. Although gamified touchscreen tools are increasingly used in educational and therapeutic contexts, evidence remains limited for interventions grounded in explicit educational theory and assessed through both performance metrics and practitioner feed-back. This study evaluates CogniAction, a gamified tablet-based battery informed by Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory, comprising four tasks (MTS, RVIP, RT, and PAL) designed to stimulate targeted cognitive and visuomotor domains across adjust-able difficulty levels. A mixed-methods design was adopted with 50 preschool children (DS: n=25; typically developing controls: n=25; ages 48-72 months). Quantitative endpoints included response time, accuracy, errors, and task persistence; qualitative data were obtained via semi-structured interviews with teachers and therapists. Compared with controls, the DS group exhibited significantly more taps/errors in MTS and greater variability/slower performance in RT and RVIP, consistent with fine-motor control, processing-speed, and rapid visual processing challenges; importantly, MTS correct-response totals were similar (ceiling-limited), and errors de-creased with task familiarization, suggesting performance gains with adequate time and support. Interviews indicated high engagement and acceptance, positive responses to auditory feedback, and perceived improvements in motor control and self-regulation, while emphasizing the need for clinician/educator mediation and task calibration. Taken together, the findings indicate that MI-aligned touchscreen gamification is a feasible and pedagogically meaningful strategy for individualized stimulation in children with DS, with clear potential for broader validation in larger and longitudinal studies.