A therapeutic data ecosystem for neurodevelopmentally inclusive play
Turning playground infrastructure into a living therapeutic intelligence network
Kennesaw State University · $2M / 36 months
One in 31 U.S. children is now on the autism spectrum. Yet fewer than 5% of America's 100,000+ public playgrounds offer meaningful neurodevelopmental accommodations.
For families, every outing is a planning ordeal: Is there fencing? Quiet zones? Equipment that matches therapy goals? No platform connects therapeutic need to playground capability.
The CDC released new prevalence data in April 2025. AI vision models can now classify playground equipment from satellite imagery. And cities are investing billions in neighborhood infrastructure — without disability data to guide them.
CDC April 2025 ASD prevalence update — most complete picture ever of the scale of need
Gemini Vision can detect and classify playground equipment from satellite and street-view imagery
Atlanta's $5B Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative — but no disability lens on playground spending
PlayScan places the child at the center of a data ecosystem connecting therapists, parents, schools, parks departments, funders, equipment manufacturers, and community advocates.
Therapy drives everything. An ABA therapist assigns activities. PlayScan captures these, maps them to playground equipment using a peer-reviewed scoring framework, and generates actionable intelligence for each stakeholder.
OpenStreetMap · Esri Satellite · OpenRouteService · Walk Score
US Census ACS · CDC PLACES · Trust for Public Land ParkServe
Open-Meteo Weather/UV · EPA Air Quality
Gemini Vision — equipment detection from satellite & street-view
Google Places photos/reviews · NPPES NPI therapist density
$0
/ month at 10K assessments
Sensory-matched route, timing, equipment map, meltdown protocol
Activity completion rates, skill progression across visits
Which equipment generates highest therapeutic return per dollar
Playground capabilities matched to enrolled student profiles
Equipment gaps by region — what to build, where to sell
Cost per ASD child reached, measurable ROI per investment
Zip-code equity gaps, underserved areas mapped
Population-level play behavior & therapeutic outcomes
Playground grades mapped against disability population density
PlayScan's scoring engine is built on IUPD and COUP — validated frameworks with AHP-weighted criteria. Extended with ASD-specific scoring dimensions.
Validated internationally, published in indexed journals. Child-profile-driven weight adjustment personalizes scores to individual sensory profiles.
The parent receives a tailored plan: best time to visit, what to bring (headphones if auditory-hyper, visual timer if rigid transitioner, AAC device if non-verbal), activity timelines mapped to specific equipment, avoid zones, and a meltdown protocol.
Not just finding a playground — knowing exactly what to do when you get there.
Each user makes the system better for everyone. Scalable beyond ASD — ADHD tomorrow, cerebral palsy next, any developmental profile.
PlayScan calculates the cost of improving one playground grade divided by the number of ASD children in its service radius. For Atlanta: $102 per ASD child reached — 3.2× more efficient than the national average.
Complementary to ParkServe (Trust for Public Land): Atlanta scored 67.3/100 — PlayScan adds the disability-specific layer that ParkServe lacks.
2 GRAs — GIS & Image Processing + AI & Machine Learning
3 Tier II GRAs + 4 undergrad research assistants
Ed Measurement · AI/ML · AEC · ABA/BCBA · OT · ST/PT
Kris Henderson, BCBA. Serves K–12 special needs programs across Cobb County. Provides clinical validation pathway and school-based pilot access.
Aligns with Mayor Dickens' $5B Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative. PlayScan adds the disability lens to playground investment decisions. Active network development underway.
For less than the cost of one playground renovation, this platform can tell an entire state where its children need to play — and what they need when they get there.
Kennesaw State University · PI: Dr. Da Hu · Co-PI: Dr. Ali Keyvanfar