A Study Protocol for an Online Intervention to Promote School Engagement

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a neurological, non-progressive, and permanent developmental disorder that mainly affects movement and posture, with a prevalence of 3 to 4 children per 1000 live births. CP's motor impairments are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, perception, cognition, communication, and behavior. These impairments echo in the activities of daily life, as well as in the learning process. Importantly, children with CP are especially prone to display working memory and EFs deficits, as well as difficulties in self-regulation, which might help explain some of their social and learning problems. These children have a high risk of showing learning disabilities, which may arise before the schooling years. This risk is not exclusively determined by cognitive impairment, with children with a normative cognitive level still presenting specific learning difficulties (e.g., mathematics, reading). Due to their clinical picture, children with disabilities, including CP, struggle with their difficulties in school. Consequently, they are prone to develop a poor School Engagement (SE) - multidimensional and multifaceted construct involving three interrelated dimensions: students' behaviors, emotions, and cognition. In children with disabilities, one of the factors that contributes to lower SE is their high level of school absenteeism. These children miss, on average, 3 weeks of school in a school year due to health issues, which may hinder their academic performance. The promotion of SE in children with disabilities is, therefore, a priority. To promote SE, Gamification strategies can be used. Gamification is the use of game elements (e.g., points, rewards, feedback) in non-game contexts. The potential of using Gamification is high and constitutes a unique opportunity to engage participants in specific activities, such as in intervention or learning contexts. Therefore, through game mechanics, Gamification can be used as a tool to promote SE. This is beca