Assistive technology for children with complex disabilities

Assistive technology

“…It is not necessary to hold information about the details of each device but it is important to have an overview of such equipment as an ECS and how to refer the family to the appropriate service for further information (Beresford 1995, Mitchell & Sloper 2000, Cowan & Khan 2005. However it is important to have an understanding of a wider range of AT so that one can recognize the role that AT plays in family life and when it might be a solution to a problem.…”

Efeitos do Uso de Recursos de Tecnologia Assistiva para Promover Independência em Atividades de Vida Diária para uma Criança com Paralisia Cerebral

“…Literature indicates that Assistive Technology (AT) can help them to gain independence and control of the environment, favoring its exploration, control of space and experience in their multiple life contexts (Copley & Ziviani, 2004;Cowan & Khan, 2005;Earde, Praipruk, Rodprait, & Seanjumla, 2018;Ostensjo, Carlberg, & Vollestad, 2005;Watson, Ito, Smith, & Anderson, 2010).…”

“…AT is an area of knowledge that consists of assisting persons with disabilities in the performance of their duties, not being limited only to the resources offered, but also covering the direct assistance available, selection, acquisition and/or training of a device. Its concept is broad, and resource development has allowed the appreciation, integration and inclusion of many people, promoting their human rights and their participation (Cook & Polgar, 2015;Cowan & Khan, 2005).…”

“…The AT implementation process is integrated and should involve the performance of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team, with different stages, namely: the assessment of the patient and of the existing and used devices; the assessment of the demands of the patient, his/ her family and caregiver; the prescription of an AT resource and its preparation; training to use it with a patient, teachers, caregivers and/or family members; monitoring the use and periodic reevaluations that may cause adaptations, modifications or replacement of resources; and possible locations for the use of the resource (Cook & Polgar, 2015;Cowan & Khan, 2005;Fachinetti, Gonçalves, & Lourenço, 2017;Sposito & Riberto, 2010;Trombly & Radomski, 2005).…”

A Universalist strategy for the design of Assistive Technology

“…From the incorporation of Ergonomics in rehabilitation projects (Kumar, 1992), the ergonomic approach has been used for example in job analysis (Chi, 1999), identification of appropriate employment for disabled people (Shrey & Breslin, 1992;Chen & Ko, 1994), and adaption of users' home and workplace (Eriksson & Johansson, 1996). Ergonomics also participates in the design and prescription of Assistive Technologies, mainly by providing anthropometric data accounting for specific body structure of the disabled (Nowak, 1996;Sims et al, 2012), kinematic or kinesiologic analyses of activities (Ait El Menceur et al, 2008;Sangelkar et al, 2012), capabilities databases (Porter et al, 2004;Tenneti et al, 2012), collection of functional needs (Cowan & Khan, 2005) or deficiency simulation (Rousek & Hallbeck, 2011). Ergonomics also provides evaluation tools for products and environments developed within the framework of Universal Design (Beecher & Paquet, 2005;Afacan & Erbug, 2009;Gray et al, 2012) as well as design guidelines (Nisbet, 1996;Abascal & Nicolle, 2005).…”