RU
UZ
Sevinch Makhmudova, a first-year student of CSE faculty at IUT, developed the “Sun Child” mobile app for parents of children with down syndrome, becoming a winner of the III Republican competition “100 best innovative projects of women in Uzbekistan”.
The “Sun Child” app, included in the top 100 innovative projects of women in Uzbekistan in the category “Best innovative project in the field of ICT”, was created to help parents of “Sunny” children. Its main categories are “Сhild card” and “medical questionnaire”, thanks to which parents can observe the dynamics of their baby’s development. The app also contains motivational multimedia materials and a database of doctors who provide advice to special children.
“It was not by chance that I decided to make such an app. My family has a special child – my younger brother was born with down syndrome. Parents were very worried about this because there was no support from anywhere. Even doctors with one voice advised leaving the child, saying that he would be like a “vegetable” and would not live long. But we have studied this topic a lot. If you are involved in their development from an early age, “Sunny” children can go to regular education schools, grow and develop like normal and healthy children. Today, my brother is 6 years old, and he goes to a regular kindergarten, ” said Sevinch.
Sevinch used a questionnaire developed by professors at the University of Oregon (USA) for her mobile app. The student simplified and automated questions and answers, as well as adapted the app language to the user’s phone language.
“In the app, parents start a child card at the beginning, where they indicate their weight, height, and age. Then, through the medical questionnaire, they determine the degree of its development and its age-appropriate development. For example, the baby is one year old, he sits, crawls, can hold some items in his hand, reacts to emotions. The Survey is recommended to take place every two months to observe the dynamics,” the student explained.
Sevinch plans to launch the app this summer. However, before that, she needs to buy the rights to use the questionnaire from the creators. This day student is looking for a sponsor. The girl admitted that no one is currently dealing with the problem of children with down syndrome. All events and centers for the development of “Sun Child” children are organized by volunteers, as a rule, these are families that have such special children. The student is sure that her app can help many parents not only with its practical information but also with motivational photos and videos.