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Assistive Technology for Severe or Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability

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Abstract

This entry is aimed at providing an overview of technology products and related technology-aided programs developed for people with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. The overview involves a brief presentation of a number of studies that were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of those products and programs in improving/enhancing the people’s condition. In particular, the overview provides a summary of studies that employed technology-aided programs for promoting functional use of (1) small/minimal responses (i.e., the only responses possible for the participants), (2) occupational responses, (3) ambulation responses, (4) relevant physical exercise responses, (5) combinations of responses or response variations, (6) adaptive responses serving as means to curb problem behavior, (7) choice responses, (8) communication requests, and (9) mobility and activity engagement. The summary provided for the single studies describes the characteristics of the participants, the technology available and how it was used during the intervention, and the results obtained. The presentation of the aforementioned technology-aided programs is followed by a brief discussion of their accessibility and their role over time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lega F. D’Oro Research Center, Osimo, Italy

    Giulio E. Lancioni

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  1. Giulio E. Lancioni
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Correspondence to Giulio E. Lancioni .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. c/o Dr. Matthew Bennett, Klemzig, SA, Australia

    Gabriel Bennett

  2. Positive Partnerships, Seaford, SA, Australia

    Emma Goodall

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    Gabriel Bennett

  2. No affiliation provided

    Emma Goodall

  3. No affiliation provided

    Stefano Federici

  4. No affiliation provided

    Marcia J. Scherer

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Lancioni, G.E. (2024). Assistive Technology for Severe or Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities. In: Bennett, G., Goodall, E. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40858-8_52-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40858-8_52-1

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