SAM — Digital Screening for ADHD and SLD Children
SAM is a screening serious game developed in collaboration with the Department of Psychologyat the University of Bologna. It assesses key cognitive functions in children aged 5 to 12 through structured interactive activities, providing professionals with a cognitive profile that serves as a useful initial clinical guide.
THE PROBLEM
When screening is the first step, but accessing it is complicated
In clinical practice, early screening is often the most critical challenge: wait times are growing longer, children arrive with already complex conditions, and traditional tools require lengthy sessions and manual processing of results. SAM was developed to make this first step more efficient without compromising its rigor.
Long wait times before the first assessment appointment
Pen-and-paper screening tools are not well-suited for young children or those with low frustration tolerance
Difficulty in obtaining an initial assessment of cognitive function in a timely manner to guide the treatment plan
Poor integration between screening and digital clinical records
A validated digital screening tool that can be integrated into the clinical pathway
SAM is a screening serious game developed in collaboration with researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of Bologna. Through interactive activities with calibrated difficulty levels, it assesses the key cognitive functions relevant to neurodevelopment during childhood. The healthcare professional prescribes the assessment, receives the report, and can incorporate the data into their diagnostic process.
SAM is accessible exclusively through the Develop-Players platform, which is reserved for registered professionals. Clinicians purchase tests on a pay-per-use basis—that is, they pay only for the sessions they actually use, with no subscriptions or fixed costs. This model allows clinicians to integrate SAM into their clinical services with flexibility, tailoring usage to their actual patient volume.
Age group
Ages 5–12
Duration
About 40 minutes
Methods
Online, no installation required
Compatibility
Computer or tablet with Google Chrome
THE COGNITIVE DOMAINS ASSESSED
A multidimensional screening of cognitive functions in 40 minutes
SAM is not a diagnostic tool: it is a first-level structured assessment, useful for guiding the clinical process and identifying at an early stage which children require further evaluation.
SAM measures the key cognitive functions relevant to the early identification of profiles consistent with SLD ADHD:
- Selective Visual Attention
- Auditory discrimination
- Phonological Memory
- Segmentation
- Summary
- Deletion
- Perception of movement
- Verbal working memory
- Verbal Comprehension
- Fluid Intelligence
- Auditory Attention
- Switching
- Inhibition
Comparison with traditional methods
Why choose SAM?
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Administration
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Duration
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Patient involvement
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Results
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Prescription and monitoring
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Compatibility with follow-up
SAM
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Online in the office or at home, on a computer or tablet using Google Chrome
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About 40 minutes
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Alto — an interactive, gamified format
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Available immediately in a structured report format
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Can be prescribed and tracked via the platform
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Report that can be integrated into clinical documentation
Traditional screenings
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In person, using printed materials
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60–120 minutes
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Variable — often perceived as tiring
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Manual processing, longer processing times
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Managed separately from the documentation
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Requires further processing
What You Get with SAM
A comprehensive package to integrate screening into your work
For professionals
A prescribable, standardized tool
A clear protocol, to be administered as directed by a clinician via the Develop-Players platform.
Instant report
A cognitive profile available at the end of the session, in a readable format that can be incorporated into the clinical record.
Time savings during the initial orientation phase
It reduces the workload associated with manual data entry during initial screening, freeing up time for clinical analysis.
Can be integrated into the diagnostic process
The report is intended as an initial assessment, to be supplemented by more in-depth evaluation tools.
For the patient/family
A more empathetic experience
The interactive format reduces the feeling of being subjected to a formal assessment, thereby encouraging the child's cooperation.
Accessible from home or the office
No special setup is required. The test can be taken on any device running Google Chrome.
A manageable amount of time
About 40 minutes; even children with low frustration tolerance or short attention spans can complete it, even if they have to do it in several sessions.
A clear, step-by-step guide
The family receives clear, straightforward instructions on what to do and when, with no room for confusion.
Security and privacy
Your data is safe. Always.
We are fully compliant with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The data we collect is stored on secure servers in Europe, used exclusively for clinical purposes, and accessible only to authorized personnel.
- No advertising tracking
- Encrypted data
- Access only by the clinical team
Who we are
Develop Players is a social enterprise founded by the Department of Psychology at the University of Bolognato make the assessment and treatment of SLD ADHD accessible through play.
Our Mission.
Enhancing the potential of every person with neurodiversity through play, combining scientific research and technology to make the neurodevelopment clinic more accessible, empathetic and rigorous.
Our team
A multidisciplinary team that combines clinical expertise (psychologists, neuropsychologists, speech-language pathologists, child neuropsychiatrists) with technical and creative expertise (data scientists, developers, artists).
They talk about us
Incorporate SAM into your screening process
Screening is the first step in an effective clinical process. SAM provides you with a structured, scientifically validated, and easy-to-prescribe tool for quickly obtaining an initial assessment of a child’s cognitive profile.