Seeing that the greatest challenge faced by children with cerebral palsy at Wahana Keluarga Cerebral Palsy (WKCP) Yogyakarta is delayed speech, the Student Creativity Program for Community Service (PKM-PM) Team from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) developed a digital learning innovation for children with cerebral palsy (CP) experiencing speech delays.
The game, titled Kata Kita, is an educational platform featuring augmented reality (AR) and audio-sensory elements designed to train children’s oromotor skills and language abilities in an engaging manner. This innovation serves as a comprehensive tool to support speech therapy for children with special needs.
The Kata Kita team consists of Muhammad Zufar Syaafi’ and Muhammad Haidar Syaafi’ (Information Engineering), Nabila Sabna Haqi (Indonesian Language and Literature), and Keisha Tiara Ramadhania and Nenden Kalma Syafiyah Afiyatani (Psychology).
The Kata Kita game was created to provide an interactive and accessible learning medium for children with cerebral palsy who have delayed speech.
“Our team took the initiative to create an innovative technology-based solution using a game-based learning approach that integrates audio-sensory technology and augmented reality,” said Nabila Sabna Haqi in an interview on Thursday (Nov. 11).
The game features several levels of play, with more vocabulary introduced as the levels progress. Kata Kita also includes an AR-based 3D animal adventure to enrich vocabulary learning.
Its voice-recognition feature provides real-time feedback on the child’s pronunciation, making speech practice with parents or supervisors enjoyable.
As a digital, inclusive product, the game can also be used in various disability communities, inclusive schools, and speech therapy centers. Beyond functioning as a learning tool, the platform also provides a monitoring website accessible to parents or caregivers.
“Through this website, parents can monitor their child’s progress in real time and receive development summaries generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI),” added Haqi.
She further explained that Kata Kita was developed in collaboration with WKCP Yogyakarta, a community focused on supporting children with CP and their families. This collaboration ensures that the program aligns with the community’s fundamental needs and can deliver a sustainable, positive impact.
The game had previously undergone trial testing with several children with cerebral palsy at WKCP Yogyakarta. The results varied depending on the participants’ degree of speech delay.
“For children with mild to moderate delays, we observed positive changes. They were able to pronounce more vocabulary within a single sentence. One child who previously could not pronounce the letter ‘k’ is now able to articulate it correctly,” Haqi explained.
The team hopes the Kata Kita game will serve as an inclusive, sustainable learning medium for children with cerebral palsy who experience speech delays. Through audio-sensory technology and augmented reality, they hope to help children practice speaking in an enjoyable and effective way.
“We also hope that Kata Kita can be widely implemented across various disability communities and inclusive schools, helping expand access to education for children with special needs in Indonesia,” concluded Haqi.
Author: Lintang Andwyna
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographs: Kata Kita Team