Mainstream technology to support basic communication and leisure in people with neurological disorders, motor impairment and lack of speech

ABSTRACT

Objective

To assess a simple technology solution to support basic communication and leisure in people with neurological disorders, extensive motor impairment, and absence of speech.

Design

The design was a non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants.

Methods

The study included eight participants and assessed a technology setup including a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 LTE tablet and a Samsung Galaxy A3 smartphone. The smartphone, automated via MacroDroid, presented the participant with leisure, messages, and caregiver options. Choosing leisure or messages (by activating the smartphone’s proximity sensor) led the smartphone to present the alternatives available for that option and eventually verbalize the alternative selected. This verbalization triggered the tablet’s Google Assistant and led the tablet to present a leisure event or start a message exchange. Choosing the caregiver led the smartphone to invite the caregiver to interact with the participant.

Results

During baseline (i.e., when a standard smartphone was available), the participants did not activate any of the options. During intervention and post-intervention (i.e., with the technology described above), participants activated all options and spent most of the session time positively engaged with them.

Conclusions

The aforementioned technology seems to be a useful tool for individuals like those involved in this study.

KEYWORDS:

• Neurological disorders
• motor impairment
• communication
• leisure
• smartphone
• tablet

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Ethical Approval

Approval for the study was obtained from an institutional Ethics Committee. All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

The participants’ families provided written informed consent for the participants’ involvement in the study.