Gaming Technique: An Assessment and Training Tool for Individuals with Learning Deficits

In this article the literature on gaming technique is reviewed as applied to life simulation experiences. The gaming technique is the use or the adaptation of existing games or the development of training games. Training games are useful educational tools to teach daily living skills to the mild to moderate mentally retarded population and other individuals with learning deficits. The author discusses the application of games to a variety of training situations in the occupational therapy clinic and summarizes techniques for making an adaptation of or for constructing games. Four games are included: a pegboard game, a friendship or socialization game, a money-calculator game, and a disaster game.