An Application of a Leisure Preference Assessment Protocol for Persons with Severe Handicaps

Abstract

An investigation was conducted to demonstrate the application of a computerized assessment procedure for determining the leisure preferences of persons with severe handicaps. Three children with severe handicaps who were enrolled in a local public school served as subjects. The experimental apparatus consisted of a switch-activated microcomputer and a computer program designed to interpret the switch activations to produce a variety of leisure activities. A single subject research procedure using a multiple treatment design involving five separate conditions across three subjects was employed. Each subject participated in a series of 3-min sessions during each condition. Each of the five conditions provided students with a choice between two of the following Jive leisure activities: listening to music, watching action videos, activating a blender and drinking a portion of a milkshake, watching a slide show, and feeling the vibrations from a vibrating pad. The results of the investigation demonstrated that the leisure preferences of people with severe handicaps can be assessed systematically.