Technology-aided Programs to Enable Persons with Multiple Disabilities to Move through Sequences of Occupational Activities Independently

Abstract

These two studies assessed technology-aided programs for fostering sustained occupational engagement and mobility in persons with multiple disabilities who typically failed to move through sequences of activities. Study I involved two participants with severe intellectual disability and blindness. The program ensured automatic presentation of (a) auditory cues to guide the participants to different workstations with activities, and (b) musical and social (reinforcing) stimulation at the participants’ arrival at each of the workstations. Study II involved one participant with severe to profound intellectual disability and moderate hearing impairment. The program presented combinations of auditory and visual cues to guide the participant to the workstations and positive social consequences as she reached them. The results of both studies were largely positive. The participants’ mean percentages of independent transition moves (i.e., moves to reach the different workstations available and carry out the activities scheduled) increased from zero or below 20 at the beginning of the study (under baseline conditions) to about 95 by the end of the study (with the use of the programs). Practical and technical implications of the results for daily intervention with persons with multiple disabilities are discussed.