Children with hyperkinetic movement (HKM) often have limited access to traditional augmentative and alternative communication technologies (e.g., mechanical switches). To seek a communication solution for these children, this study explored the possibility that discernable biomechanical patterns, related to preference, exist amid HKM. We deployed a unified approach to analyse a child's movements, fusing caregiver and clinician observations with quantitative data (accelerations of the upper extremities). Two case studies were examined. In both, the accelerometer data identified preference at adjusted accuracies statistically above chance using a linear discriminant classifier. Visually, communicative movement patterns were identified in the first child (κ=0.25-0.27) but not in the second child (κ=0.03-0.11). Implications of this study include possible enhancement in communication and independence for these children.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.