The PiTDAHgoras project, led by UC3M, receives the Queen Letizia Research Award
5/20/22
PiTDAHgoras, an initiative led by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) which promotes early detection and play therapy in minors with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), has been awarded the 2022 Queen Letizia Research Award, sponsored by the Royal Board on Disability.
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes difficulties in paying attention and controlling impulsive behaviour. A research team led by UC3M lecturer David Delgado and with the participation of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital, the 12 de Octubre Hospital, the Niño Jesús Hospital and the Asociación de Niños Con Síndrome de Hiperactividad y Déficit de Atención (Association for Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), has developed a series of video games capable of identifying and evaluating the severity of ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents.
The video game can directly identify attention deficit symptoms in a few minutes and only requires a computer, making it a cheap and efficient way to check the severity of inattention in patients. Currently, PiTDAHgoras focuses on the early detection of ADHD; it can also be used as a complement to the initial diagnosis made by a professional, as a symptom monitoring tool and as therapy for the treatment of this disorder.
The awards jury has chosen to give the award to PiTDAHgoras for being a free tool that addresses the rights of children with ADHD; and for considering the project as “a work that is developed in an interdisciplinary way, between psychologists and technicians, and which bases its application on games and interrelationships”.
About the Queen Letizia Awards
The Royal Board on Disability’s aim with these awards is the development of programmes and activities to raise awareness on disability and universal accessibility, specifically, in areas related to research, accessibility and universal design in municipalities, inclusion in the workplace, accessible information and communication technologies, artistic creation or interpretation, promotion and encouragement of inclusive sports and the knowledge and effective implementation of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
