An Upgraded Smartphone-Based Program for Leisure and Communication of People With Intellectual and Other Disabilities.

People with intellectual disability and sensory or sensory-motor impairments may display serious problems in managing functional daily activities as well as leisure activities and communication with distant partners. The study assessed an upgraded smartphone-based program to foster independent leisure and communication activity of eight participants with mild to moderate intellectual disability, sensory or sensory-motor impairments, and limited speech skills. The upgraded program was based on the use of (a) a Samsung Galaxy A3 smartphone with Android 6.

Promoting physical activity in people with intellectual and multiple disabilities through a basic technology-aided program.

This study assessed a technology-aided program (monitoring responding, and ensuring preferred stimulation and encouragements) for promoting physical activity with 11 participants with severe/profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Each participant was provided with an exercise device (e.g.

A Technology-Aided Program to Support Basic Occupational Engagement and Mobility in Persons with Multiple Disabilities.

Background: Persons with severe/profound intellectual and multiple disabilities tend to be passive and sedentary. Promoting their occupational engagement and mobility (i.e.

Using Smartphones to Help People with Intellectual and Sensory Disabilities Perform Daily Activities.

Background: People with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability and sensory impairments often fail to take initiative in starting and carrying out daily activities, with negative consequences for their occupational condition and social status. Their failure seems due to their inability to determine the right time for the activities and to remember all the activity steps.

Aim: This study assessed a smartphone intervention, which was designed to help eight participants (four presenting with intellectual disability and blindness and four presenting with intellectual disability and hearing impairment) to independently start and carry out daily activities at appropriate times.

Promoting Functional Activity Engagement in People with Multiple Disabilities through the Use of Microswitch-Aided Programs.

Background: People with severe/profound multiple (e.g., intellectual, motor, or sensory-motor) disabilities are frequently restricted to a situation of inactivity and dependence, which may be modified by promoting functional activity engagement through assistive technology.

Helping people in a minimally conscious state develop responding and stimulation control through a microswitch-aided program.

Background: Postcoma persons in a minimally conscious state (MCS) and with extensive motor impairment cannot independently access and control environmental stimulation.

Aim: Assessing the effects of a microswitch-aided program aimed at helping MCS persons develop responding and stimulation control and conducting a social validation/evaluation of the program.

Design: A single-subject ABAB design was used for each participant to determine the impact of the program on his or her responding.

Case Studies of Technology-aided Interventions to Promote Hand Reaching and Standing or Basic Ambulation in Persons with Multiple Disabilities.

Motor impairments such as lack of standing and/or independent ambulation are common among persons with multiple disabilities. These two studies assessed technology-aided programs for persons with those impairments. Specifically, Study I assessed a program to teach two non-ambulatory adults to hand reach a stimulation-linked object by standing up.

A basic technology-aided programme for leisure and communication of persons with advanced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: performance and social rating.

Purpose: This study assessed (a) the impact of a technology-aided programme on the leisure and communication engagement of persons with advanced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and (b) the opinion of rehabilitation and care personnel regarding the programme.

Method: The programme's impact was assessed with four participants who were allowed to activate leisure and communication options through basic responses (e.g.

Assistive technology to help persons in a minimally conscious state develop responding and stimulation control: Performance assessment and social rating.

Background: Post-coma persons in a minimally conscious state (MCS) and with extensive motor impairment and lack of speech tend to be passive and isolated.

Objective: This study aimed to (a) further assess a technology-aided approach for fostering MCS participants' responding and stimulation control and (b) carry out a social validation check about the approach.

Methods: Eight MCS participants were exposed to the aforementioned approach according to an ABAB design.

Assisting persons with advanced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in their leisure engagement and communication needs with a basic technology-aided program.

Background: Eye-tracking communication devices and brain-computer interfaces are the two resources available to help people with advanced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) avoid isolation and passivity.

Objective: This study was aimed at assessing a technology-aided program (i.e.

Patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease engage in verbal reminiscence with the support of a computer-aided program: a pilot study.

This study focused on the assessment of a program recently developed for helping patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease engage in computer-mediated verbal reminiscence (Lancioni et al., 2014a). Sixteen participants were involved in the study.

Persons with multiple disabilities engage in stimulus choice and postural control with the support of a technology-aided program.

Technology-aided programs have been reported to help persons with disabilities develop adaptive responding and control problem behavior/posture. This study assessed one such program in which choice of stimulus events was used as adaptive responding for three adults with multiple disabilities. A computer system presented the participants stimulus samples.

Technology-aided programs for post-coma patients emerged from or in a minimally conscious state.

Post-coma persons in a minimally conscious state (MCS) or emerged/emerging from such state (E-MCS), who are affected by extensive motor impairment and lack of speech, may develop an active role and interact with their environment with the help of technology-aided intervention programs. Although a number of studies have been conducted in this area during the last few years, new evidence about the efficacy of those programs is warranted. These three studies were an effort in that direction.

Persons with Alzheimer's disease engage in leisure and mild physical activity with the support of technology-aided programs.

Three studies were conducted to assess technology-aided programs to promote leisure engagement and mild physical activity in persons with Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, Study I assessed a program aimed at enabling three patients with mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease to choose among different music options and activate the preferred ones. Studies II and III were directed at patients in the low moderate or severe stages of the Alzheimer's disease who were no longer capable of ambulating and spent their time generally inactive, sitting in their wheelchairs.

A computer-aided program for helping patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease engage in verbal reminiscence.

This study assessed a simple computer-aided program for helping patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease engage in verbal reminiscence. In practice, the program was aimed at fostering the patient's verbal engagement on a number of life experiences/topics previously selected for him or her and introduced in the sessions through a friendly female, who appeared on the computer screen. The female asked the patient about the aforementioned experiences/topics, and provided him or her with positive attention, and possibly verbal guidance (i.

Microswitch-aided programs to support physical exercise or adequate ambulation in persons with multiple disabilities.

Three microswitch-aided programs were assessed in three single-case studies to enhance physical exercise or ambulation in participants with multiple disabilities. Study I was aimed at helping a woman who tended to have the head bending forward and the arms down to exercise a combination of appropriate head and arms movements. Study II was aimed at promoting ambulation continuity with a man who tended to have ambulation breaks.

Persons with moderate Alzheimer's disease use simple technology aids to manage daily activities and leisure occupation.

Two studies assessed technology-aided programs to support performance of daily activities and selection/activation of music items with patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease. In Study I, four patients were presented with activity-related pictorial instructions via a computer fitted with inexpensive, commercial software. In Study II, four patients were (a) presented with different music options and (b) allowed to select and activate the preferred option via a microswitch response.

Post-coma persons with multiple disabilities use assistive technology for their leisure engagement and communication.

Background: Interventions for post-coma persons, who have emerged from a minimally conscious state but present with extensive neuro-motor impairment and lack of or minimal verbal skills, need to promote occupation and communication through the use of assistive technology.

Objective: These two studies were aimed at assessing two technology-aided programs to promote leisure engagement and communication for three post-coma participants with multiple disabilities.

Methods: Study I assessed a program to allow a woman and a man with extensive neuro-motor impairment and lack of speech to switch on music and videos, make requests to caregivers, and send messages to (communicate with) relevant partners and receive messages from those partners.

People with multiple disabilities learn to engage in occupation and work activities with the support of technology-aided programs.

These two studies were aimed at assessing technology-aided programs to help persons with multiple disabilities engage in basic occupation or work activities. Specifically, Study I focused on teaching two participants (an adolescent and an adult) with low vision or total blindness, severe/profound intellectual disabilities, and minimal object interaction to engage in constructive object-manipulation responses. The technology monitored their responses and followed them with brief stimulation periods automatically.

Technology-based intervention programs to promote stimulation control and communication in post-coma persons with different levels of disability.

Post-coma persons in a minimally conscious state and with extensive motor impairment or emerging/emerged from such a state, but affected by lack of speech and motor impairment, tend to be passive and isolated. A way to help them develop functional responding to control environmental events and communication involves the use of intervention programs relying on assistive technology. This paper provides an overview of technology-based intervention programs for enabling the participants to (a) access brief periods of stimulation through one or two microswitches, (b) pursue stimulation and social contact through the combination of a microswitch and a sensor connected to a speech generating device (SGD) or through two SGD-related sensors, (c) control stimulation options through computer or radio systems and a microswitch, (d) communicate through modified messaging or telephone systems operated via microswitch, and (e) control combinations of leisure and communication options through computer systems operated via microswitch.

Technology to help persons with extensive neuro-motor impairment and lack of speech with their leisure occupation and communication.

These two studies were aimed at extending the assessment of technology-aided programs to enhance leisure occupation or communication with persons with extensive neuro-motor impairment and lack of speech. Specifically, Study I implemented the program for leisure occupation with two post-stroke patients. Study II implemented the program for communication with two persons affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).