Search

Findings from a meta-analysis of studies investigating the use of five different assistive technology devices (switch interfaces, powered mobility, computers, augmentative communication, weighted/pressure vests) with young children with disabilities are reported. One hundred and nine studies including 1,342 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers were the focus of analysis. Results showed that the use of all the assistive technology devices except weighted and pressure vests were related to improvements in the child outcomes regardless of type of child disability or severity of child intellectual delay. The importance of the use of evidence-based training methods for promoting practitioners' and parents' use of assistive technology is described. The following are appended: (1) Background Characteristics of the Study Participants; and (2) Research Designs, Types of Assistive Technology, Outcome Measures, and Cohen's d Effect Sizes for the Relationships between Use of the Assistive Technology Devices and the Child Outcomes.

The effects of a socially interactive robot on the conversational turns between four young children with autism and their mothers were investigated as part of the intervention study described in this research report. The interventions with each child were conducted over 4 or 5 days in the children's homes where a practitioner facilitated child-robot and child-mother interactions using robot produced speech and movements. Results showed that the conversational turns between the children and their mothers increased from a nonintervention, baseline condition to the intervention phases of the study for all the children as a group and for all four children individually. The manner in which socially interactive robots might be incorporated into interventions with young children with autism and other disabilities is described. The following is appended: Professionally Recorded Sounds and Speech Used in the Conversational Turns Study.

The effects of a socially interactive robot on the vocalization production of five children with disabilities (4 with autism, 1 with a sensory processing disorder) were the focus of the intervention study described in this research report. The interventions with each child were conducted over 4 or 5 days in the children's homes and involved investigator-facilitated robot-produced speech and movements to engage the children in child-robot and child-mother interactions. Results showed that for the children as a group and for 4 of 5 children individually, the children's vocalization production increased from a nonintervention, baseline condition to the intervention phases of the study. The utility of socially interactive robots for intervening with young children with disabilities is described. The following is appended: Professionally Recorded Sounds and Speech Used in the Vocalization Production Study.

A number of different types of socially interactive robots are being used as part of interventions with young children with disabilities to promote their joint attention and language skills. Parents' judgments of two dimensions (acceptance and importance) of the social validity of four different social robots were the focus of the study described in this research report. Results showed that toy-like robots were judged as more acceptable and important compared to humanoid-like robots but that the social validity judgments of all four robots were much lower than found in studies of other types of interventions. The need for additional studies of parents' judgments of socially interactive robots is described.

The effectiveness of different types of practices for promoting practitioner and parent adoption of different kinds of assistive technology and adaptations with young children birth to 105 months of age was the focus of a meta-analysis. Six operationally defined adult learning method characteristics and between 2 and 5 practices for each characteristic were used to code and analyze the results for both adult (practitioner and parent) and child outcomes. The synthesis included 35 studies with 839 adult participants and 1100 child participants. The assistive technology that were the focus of training included speech generative devices (e.g., CheapTalk), computers (e.g., adapted keyboards), and switch activated devices and toys. Results showed that certain practices for each adult learning method characteristic proved most effect in terms of changes and improvements in both adult and child outcomes. These included trainer description and explanation of the assistive technology for introducing the devices to the trainees, learner-informed experiences and trainer demonstration of the devices for illustrating how to use the devices, trainee use of the assistive technology and trainer-guided trainee practice using the devices, trainer feedback on the trainees use of the assistive technology, and trainee standards-based self-assessment of their knowledge and skills and the provision of opportunities to generalize the use of the assistive technology for assessing mastery. Results also showed that when more of the most effective practices were used as part of the training, the greater the adult and child outcomes; and the greater positive benefits when the child(ren) who were to use the assistive technology were present during the trainings. Implications for promoting practitioner and parent adoption and use of assistive technology and adaptations are described. The following are appended: (1) Characteristics of the Adult Study Participants; (2) Characteristics of Child Study Participants; (3) Selected Characteristics of Training Studies; (4) Types of Adaptations, Technologies, Adaptive Technologies, and Instruction; (5) Adult Learning Method Practices Used to Promote Use of the Assistive Technology and Adaptations; (6) Adult Participant Outcome Measures and Cohen's d Effect Sizes; (7) Child Participant Outcome Measures and Cohen's d Effect Sizes; and (8) Checklist for Promoting the Use of Assistive Technology or Adaptations.