Comparison between the Eyelink and the E-Tran Boards in Message Production of Healthy Adults

Abstract

Objectives: People with complex communication needs who have intact literacy skills such as individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may require a complementary approach by using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools that allow them to communicate only with eye movements. To provide empirical evidence on letter-based AAC intervention for adults with severely limited physical movement, this study examined message production ability in two eye-gazed selection conditions by using the Eyelink board and the E-Tran board.Methods: Forty healthy young adults participated in this study. They completed the message production task by using the Eyelink board and the E-Tran board for the same target messages. Task performance was analyzed by measuring the accuracy scores and response times.Results: When participants used the Eyelink board, the accuracy scores were significantly higher than that of the E-Tran board. They also showed a significantly shorter response time with the Eyelink board. The preference survey showed that the Eyelink board scored high.Conclusion: This study has clinical implications showing that the Eyelink board is a more accurate and efficient way as an eye-gaze low-tech AAC system for people with severely impaired physical movement compared with the E-Tran board. Based on these results, clinical support and training need to be provided to help them use the boards in their daily life with their communication partners.