Promoting Environmental Control, Social Interaction, and Leisure/Academy Engagement Among People with Severe/Profound Multiple Disabilities Through Assistive Technology

Abstract

When the authors talk about Assistive Technology (AT) they refer to all technological solutions that allow persons with multiple disabilities and profound cognitive disability to overcome their isolation and passivity to move around their environment, communicate with others, and to be involved developmentally in appropriate activities that they would be unable to do without this technology. There is an increasing range of AT available and the purpose of this contribution is to provide an overview of different aspects of daily living AT that enables people with multiple disabilities to interact independently with their preferred stimuli. The aim of this chapter is to provide an outline of technological resources used in rehabilitation research with persons with severe/profound and multiple disabilities and discuss the use of such resources. We focus on particular rehabilitation programs that involve the use of technological devices within the framework of conventional behavioral intervention for the acquisition and the maintenance of specific responses.