Automatic feedback to promote safe walking and speech loudness control in persons with multiple disabilities: two single-case studies.

Objective: Assessing automatic feedback technologies to promote safe travel and speech loudness control in two men with multiple disabilities, respectively.

Method: The men were involved in two single-case studies. In Study I, the technology involved a microprocessor, two photocells, and a verbal feedback device.

A verbal-instruction system to help persons with multiple disabilities perform complex food- and drink-preparation tasks independently.

In a recent single-case study, we showed that a new verbal-instruction system, ensuring the automatic presentation of step instructions, was beneficial for promoting the task performance of a woman with multiple disabilities (including blindness). The present study was aimed at replicating and extending the aforementioned investigation with three adults with multiple disabilities. During Part I of the study, the new instruction system was compared with a system requiring the participants to seek instructions on their own.

Promoting mouth-drying responses to reduce drooling effects by persons with intellectual and multiple disabilities: a study of two cases.

This study assessed the use of microswitch technology to promote mouth-drying responses and thereby reduce the effects of drooling by two adults with severe intellectual and multiple disabilities. Mouth-drying responses were performed via a special napkin that contained pressure sensors, a microprocessor and an MP3 to monitor the responses and ensure positive stimulation contingent on them. Initially, the responses produced 10 or 15 s of preferred stimulation.

Persons with multiple disabilities use orientation technology to find room entrances during indoor traveling.

These two studies assessed adapted orientation technology for promoting correct direction and room identification during indoor traveling by persons with multiple (e.g., sensory, motor and intellectual/adaptive) disabilities.

Helping a man with multiple disabilities to use single vs repeated performance of simple motor schemes as different responses.

A man with multiple disabilities was taught to use single vs repeated performance of simple motor schemes as different responses. Specifically, single and double emissions of a finger movement served as two separate responses, which allowed direct access to different environmental stimuli via microswitch technology. Single and double emissions of a head movement served as two additional responses, which allowed interaction with two different caregivers who were called via voice output communication aids (VOCAs).

Promoting ambulation responses among children with multiple disabilities through walkers and microswitches with contingent stimuli.

Children with severe or profound intellectual and motor disabilities often present problems of balance and ambulation and spend much of their time sitting or lying, with negative consequences for their development and social status. Recent research has shown the possibility of using a walker (support) device and microswitches with preferred stimuli to promote ambulation with these children. This study served as a replication of the aforementioned research and involved five new children with multiple disabilities.

Two persons with multiple disabilities use a mouth-drying response to reduce the effects of their drooling.

These two studies involved a boy and a man with multiple disabilities, who were taught to use a mouth-drying response to reduce the effects of their drooling. Both studies relied on microswitch technology to monitor the drying response and follow it with positive stimulation (i.e.

Helping a man with multiple disabilities increase object-contact responses and reduce hand stereotypy via a microswitch cluster program.

Background: People with profound and multiple disabilities often display aberrant behaviours (such as stereotypical movements) which can inhibit learning and lead to social stigmatisation. This study was designed to help a man with multiple disabilities increase his object-contact responses and reduce hand stereotypy (in this case, hand/wrist rotation).

Method: An A-B-A-B design with a 3-month post-intervention check was employed.

A microswitch-cluster program to foster adaptive responses and head control in students with multiple disabilities: replication and validation assessment.

A program relying on microswitch clusters (i.e., combinations of microswitches) and preferred stimuli was recently developed to foster adaptive responses and head control in persons with multiple disabilities.

Effects of microswitch-based programs on indices of happiness of students with multiple disabilities: a new research evaluation.

The effects of microswitch-based programs on indices of happiness were evaluated with 9 students who had profound multiple disabilities. Each student received an ABAB sequence in which A represented baseline phases and B, intervention phases. During the latter phases, microswitches were used to enable the students to control preferred environmental stimulation with simple/feasible responses, such as hand-pushing and foot-lifting.

Extending the evaluation of novel microswitch technology for small responses in children with profound multiple disabilities.

This study extended the evaluation of microswitch technology (i.e., a position sensor and an optic device), recently introduced for chin and eyelid responses, with two new participants with profound multiple disabilities.