Disability and Rehabilitation-Assistive Technology最新文献

Objectives: Children with intellectual disabilities struggled to perform basic tasks in the educational platform due to their deferred learning pace and individual challenges. To assist such needs, the child's individual education program (IEP) team, spearheaded by the school administrators, continues to offer supplementary educational technologies. However, selecting an appropriate technology does not follow an objective system, making the decision process tedious and unreliable. Therefore, this paper provides a new perspective on analyzing the educational technologies for children with intellectual disabilities with respect to design factors that also constitute the technical specifications and ergonomic principles of technology design.

Method: To analyze the educational technologies, fuzzy best-worst method (BWM) and fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method are employed in a case study in the Philippines.

Impact: Results reveal that user perception is the most important design factor to be considered when selecting educational technology for children with disabilities. Furthermore, the adaptive educational platform has been found to best fit the needs of children with autism.

There is a growing body of evidence on practical applications of three-dimensional (3D) printing to support the rehabilitation of individuals with sensory impairments. However, applications in the field of deafblindness, or the combination of vision and hearing impairment, remain scarce. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore actual and potential applications of 3D printing in deafblindness rehabilitation from the perspective of rehabilitation professionals in two focus group discussions that involved orientation and mobility specialists, vision rehabilitation specialists, audiologists, and braille technicians. Participants exchanged on 1) 3D printing applications to address their clients' rehabilitation needs, 2) factors that can impact its integration into their practice, and 3) the ideal logistics for producing and delivering 3D printed products. Educative models and functional adaptations were identified to improve communication, learning, mobility, and independent living skills for individuals with deafblindness. Professionals agreed that the main barriers limiting 3D printing adoption were linked to time constraints and insufficient awareness or knowledge about this technology, while the most crucial facilitator was the promotion of interdisciplinary collaborations with 3D printing experts. The present findings thus emphasize the need for global collaborations, knowledge dissemination, and ongoing research and validation of 3D printing applications to support individuals with deafblindness.

Virtual reality training (VRT), a fun, inexpensive and accessible technology, has the potential to improve activities of daily living (ADL) and functional status in older adults. The potential impact of VRT can be increased through group-based training. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of group- based VRT on ADL and functional outcomes in older adults over 65 years of age. Forty-three older adults included in the study were randomized into three groups (group- based VRT, individual VRT and control group). VRT was performed with Xbox 360 Kinect twice a week for 8 weeks. Each session lasted 45 min. Physical activity level, satisfaction level with physical activity, mood, mobility and balance performance, functional exercise capacity and ADL were evaluated. 36 people completed the study. A significant group × time interaction was found in Timed Up and Go test (TUG) (F [2, 57] = 8.60; η²= 0.004, P= <.001) and in Single Leg Stance Test (SLST)) (F [2, 57] = 5.69; η²= 8.509 × 10^-4, P= <.007). After 8 weeks group- based VRT showed better scores in overall TUG (p < .001) and SLST (p= .015), whereas individual VRT and control group did not exhibit significant changes. Our results suggested that 8 weeks group- based VRT could improve mobility and balance performance in older adults.

The relationship between children and their caregivers is essential for the development of social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic skills. This is especially critical for children with complex communication needs who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), as parents play a crucial role in supporting AAC integration within the home. However, communicating with a child who uses AAC does not come naturally and requires the learning of several specific skills. Various training programs have shown that, with appropriate training, parents and caregivers can develop the skills necessary to become effective communication partners and support the use of AAC at home. This paper analyzes the overlap between existing parent training programs in AAC to identify the core competencies essential for parents and caregivers to become effective communication partners. By extracting these fundamental skills, this paper aims to guide practitioners in the design of effective parent training sessions. Key strategies include responsivity, environmental arrangements, wait time, aided modeling, prompting, and appropriate feedback.

Background: Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) is a genetically linked disorder characterized by the progressive deterioration of muscles controlling facial and scapular movement. The severity and distribution of affected muscle groups vary significantly across patient demographics, necessitating diverse assistive approaches.

Objective: This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of assistive devices and therapeutic options, including medications and rehabilitative therapies, tailored to specific manifestations of FSHD.

Methods: An analysis of existing literature and clinical trials was conducted to explore current assistive technologies and pharmacological treatments, focusing on their application to FSHD patients with varying symptom severity.

Results: Although several pharmacological treatments, such as steroids, supplements, protein inhibitors, and knockout strategies, are under investigation, none have yet fully counteracted the disease process driven by toxic DUX4 production. Consequently, the broad assortment of assistive devices currently on the market remain critical for improving quality of life.

Conclusion: Despite advances in pharmacological research, the variability in FSHD manifestations necessitates a personalized approach combining assistive technologies and tailored therapeutic interventions. Future research should continue exploring integrative strategies to address the unique needs of FSHD patients.

This study aimed to explore the effect of new software targeting naming deficits in Turkish-speaking people with aphasia. The study included seven Turkish people with aphasia. These participants took the Aphasia Language Assessment Test (ADD), Turkish Picture-Naming Test (T-RAT), and Technology Familiarity Assessment, and the words for therapy were determined. The selection of categories and words for inclusion in the application was based on the frequency and typicality features. The 12-week speech-language treatment sessions were divided into two sections. During the first six weeks, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) used the software to train people. After the first part, the SLP applied the T-RAT. Participants utilized the software at home in the second part. All participants took the ADD, T-RAT, and Software Evaluation Questionnaire following the second part. Participants' naming abilities improved in all tests. Both therapy sessions with the SLP and those in which participants used the program independently demonstrated this improvement. Participants also reported high levels of treatment satisfaction. Cueing hierarchy approaches used in the software helped to improve naming skills in people with aphasia (PWA), independent of type, stage, or severity of aphasia. The findings of this study indicate that both sessions directed by an SLP and independent use of the software by participants can positively impact the therapy process with the developed software.

No tools or technologies exist to inform data-driven inspection schedules for wheelchairs. To develop such a schedule, this study identifies risk factors linked with manual wheelchair damage, part failures, and consequences and evaluates preferences for a new wheelchair servicing technology. A mixed methods study was performed with manual wheelchair users at The Ohio State University Martha Morehouse Clinic. Demographic data, wheelchair information, failure counts, and consequences suffered by the user were collected using surveys. Wheelchair usage was collected for a month using a sensor. A servicing smartphone app that connects with the sensor was demonstrated as a new servicing technology, and participant preferences were recorded. Thirty participants completed the survey testing procedures. Twenty-three collected usage data and eighteen collected it for over a week. At least 215 wheelchair part failures with an average of 13.4 ± 14.8 self-reported part failures and 4.7 ± 4.8 high-risk failures occurred in 12 months before the first study visit. Two weeks of collected data from 18 participants showed that normalised road shocks, age, and weight were associated with the condition of wheels and frames, as well as self-reported caster failures. Participants responded with a favourable preference for the new wheelchair servicing technology, with more than half of them interested in buying and using it. Risk factors like road shocks and user's age and weight are associated with part damage towards failures and self-reported failures that risk injury. These factors can be modelled to develop and test the efficacy of wheelchair inspection schedules.

Purpose: Manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) face challenges in wheelchair skill training (WSTr) due to the complexity of learning advanced skills and limited access to rehabilitation services. This review aims to summarize existing WSTr methods for individuals with SCI/disabilities and propose the use of Augmented Reality (AR)-enhanced Immediate Visual Feedback (ARe-IVF) learning modules for wheelie and curbing skill training.

Methods: The proposed ARe-IVF learning modules will incorporate AR-enhanced visual feedback, allowing users to visualize spatial and temporal aspects of wheelchair skills and assess their performance through computer vision technology. These modules are designed to tailor the learning experience to each user's SCI level, age, gender, body height, and weight. Key features of the ARe-IVF modules include verbal cues, computer graphic indications, and AR-enhanced feedback to support skill acquisition.

Results: The anticipated outcomes of the ARe-IVF modules include improved safety and effectiveness in WSTr by providing intuitive and concise guidance for key movements in wheelie and curbing maneuvers. Additionally, these modules offer an accessible alternative WSTr method for manual wheelchair users, caregivers, and rehabilitation therapists, with potential applications in Rehabilitation Centers, Hospitals, or home settings.

Conclusion: The ARe-IVF learning modules present an innovative approach to WSTr for manual wheelchair users with SCI, so that the modules provide promising learning outcomes through tailored, AR-supported feedback. This approach may empower wheelchair users to develop advanced skills with increased safety and confidence, ultimately improving rehabilitation outcomes and expanding training accessibility.

Despite the considerable health and economic burden of disability in the South Asian (SA) region, there is limited evidence of impairments and disabilities prevalence and the need for Assistive Technologies (ATs). This scoping review aims to synthesise the evidence of the impairments and disabilities in SA countries. This review followed Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework. EBSCOhost, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched for original research articles from SA countries. In this study, impairment and disability refer to functional limitations restricting individuals from performing activities, including visual, hearing, speaking, cognitive, mobility, and self-care difficulties. The review included full-text, English-language articles addressing any impairment and disability, without restrictions on publication date. This review identified 105 articles distributed over the six impairment and disability domains: visual, hearing, mobility, self-care, speaking, and cognitive. Most evidence originated from India (50.5%) and focused on visual impairments (53.3%). The review identified that heterogeneity in methodologies, case identification definitions, and study settings contributed to variations in prevalence estimation and restricted the comparability within and across countries. Besides, the uneven distribution of studies across countries suggests varying inclinations of countries toward specific impairment and disability domains. The review identified variations in prevalence due to differences in methodologies, definitions, and contexts. The review also identified the uneven distribution of studies, limited evidence on ATs, reliance on self-reported data, and lack of nationally representative research. Future research should use standardised case identification and evidence-based approaches to enhance comparability and minimise response biases.

Purpose: Focusing on individuals with visual impairment, this study investigated the effects of spatial learning using tactile maps on orientation accuracy by path integration in physical and mental imagery walking scenarios.

Materials and methods: Twelve blindfolded sighted people learned nonlooping routes with two corners using tactile maps composed of volumetric raised-line elements, then navigated the routes physically and mentally. At four orientation points along the route-the starting point, Corner A, Corner B, and the endpoint-participants indicated the direction of the other points by aligning a raised, tapered rectangle attached to a horizontal digital protractor.

Results and discussion: During the physical and mental walking tasks, the participants' mean orientation error values, representing the error in angle from the correct orientation, approximated zero for all orientation directions. However, the mean absolute error, i.e. the absolute value of the orientation error, ranged from 12.5° to 32.5° across different orientation points and tasks. As the participants followed the route, the absolute error relative to the next direction of travel increased, and the absolute errors for orientation points they had passed were substantially large. These results indicate that although tactile maps do not always enable precise orientation, they provide navigators with a surveyed spatial understanding that assists orientation through path integration. Furthermore, the mean difference in orientation error between mental and walking tasks measured on the same route for all directions was not significantly different from zero. This suggests that mental imagery walking with the tactile map helps predict orientation performance by path integration in navigators without vision.