Ocupaciones y niños con autismo: investigando sobre las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones como apoyos en el día a día

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Valorando la efectividad e impacto de los productos de apoyo

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The use of computers and augmentative and alternative communication devices by children and young with cerebral palsy

[Abstract] The purpose of the study was to determine the use of computers and assistive devices amongst children with cerebral palsy (CP) and establish the satisfaction level of both users and educational staff. The study was carried out with 30 children with cerebral palsy. A questionnaire was designed to characterize the use of new technologies and assistive devices. Some of the questions were reserved for the teachers. Even though 29 users show some type of communication difficulty, only 4 users dispose of a computer-aided communication device, with the static symbolic board being the most widely used device (4). More than half of the participants (17) regularly use a computer, 16 of them requiring some type of assistive device. The perception of the teachers with regard to the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in the classrooms is positive in 5 out of 6 cases. ICTs only provide assistance if their application is accompanied by the involvement of professionals and the child's social environment. The low use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication techniques along with the absence of communication codes reveal the need to establish training protocols. The inclusion of social, physical, and personal factors is considered essential in order to evaluate the needs for assistive technology

Anotación morfosintáctica de la Web en portugués. Variedades nacionales, tipologías textuales y sistemas ortográficos

The great amount of text produced every day in the Web turned it as one of the main sources for obtaining linguistic corpora, that are further analyzed with Natural Language Processing techniques. On a global scale, languages such as Portuguese - official in 9 countries - appear on the Web in several varieties, with lexical, morphological and syntactic (among others) differences. Besides, a unified spelling system for Portuguese has been recently approved, and its implementation process has already started in some countries. However, it will last several years, so different varieties and spelling systems coexist. Since PoS-taggers for Portuguese are specifically built for a particular variety, this work analyzes different training corpora and lexica combinations aimed at building a model with high-precision annotation in several varieties and spelling systems of this language. Moreover, this paper presents different dictionaries of the new orthography (Spelling Agreement) as well as a new freely available testing corpus, containing different varieties and textual typologies.La gran cantidad de texto producido diariamente en la Web ha provocado que ésta sea utilizada como una de las principales fuentes para la obtención de corpus lingüísticos, posteriormente analizados utilizando técnicas de Procesamiento del Lenguaje Natural. En una escala global, idiomas como el portugués – oficial en 9 estados - aparecen en la Web en diferentes variedades, con diferencias léxicas, morfológicas y sintácticas, entre otras. A esto se suma la reciente aprobación de una ortografía unificada para las diferentes variedades del portugués, cuyo proceso de implementación ya ha comenzado en varios países, pero que se prolongará todavía durante varios años, conviviendo por lo tanto también diferentes ortografías. Una vez que los etiquetadores morfosintácticos existentes para el portugués están adaptados específicamente para una variedad nacional concreta, el presente trabajo analiza diferentes combinaciones de corpus de aprendizaje y de léxicos con el fin de obtener un modelo que mantenga una alta precisión de anotación en diferentes variedades y ortografías de esta lengua. Además, se presentan diferentes diccionarios adaptados a la nueva ortografía (Acordo Ortográfico de 1990) y un nuevo corpus de evaluación con diferentes variedades y tipologías textuales, disponibilizado libremente.This work has been supported by the HPCPLN project - Ref: EM13/041 (Galician Government) and by the Celtic - Ref: 2012-CE138 and Plastic - Ref: 2013-CE298 projects (Feder-Interconnecta)

Assessing mouse alternatives to access to computer: a case study of a user with cerebral palsy

[Abstract] The purpose of this study is to describe the process of assessment of three assistive devices to meet the needs of a woman with cerebral palsy (CP) in order to provide her with computer access and use. The user has quadriplegic CP, with anarthria, using a syllabic keyboard. Devices were evaluated through a three-step approach: (a) use of a questionnaire to preselect potential assistive technologies, (b) use of an eTAO tool to determine the effectiveness of each devised, and (c) a conducting semi-structured interview to obtain qualitative data. Touch screen, joystick, and trackball were the preselected devices. The best device that met the user's needs and priorities was joystick. The finding was corroborated by both the eTAO tool and the semi-structured interview. Computers are a basic form of social participation. It is important to consider the special needs and priorities of users and to try different devices when undertaking a device-selection process. Environmental and personal factors have to be considered, as well. This leads to a need to evaluate new tools in order to provide the appropriate support. The eTAO could be a suitable instrument for this purpose. Additional research is also needed to understand how to better match devices with different user populations and how to comprehensively evaluate emerging technologies relative to users with disabilities

Empowering personal autonomy through AT with Low Cost

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Needs, demands and reality of people with neuromuscular disorders users of wheelchair

Background: The progressive nature of neuromuscular disease (NMD) results in a reduction in mobility: a person’s ability to move about, or locomotion. Wheelchair is an assistive technology device (AT) that is fundamental to provide a greater degree of independence in mobility to those affected by an NMD, and its use is mediated by factors related to context, activity, and degree of participation. Purpose: To provide an overview of the profile of participants (persons with neuromuscular disorder user of wheelchair) i. To determine the characteristics of wheelchair used by participants ii. To determine the impact of wheelchair in life of people with NMD. Methodology: Cross-sectional study, with a transversal design was employed. Sample was formed by 36 men and 24 women with Neuromuscular Disease (NMD), user of wheelchair, and their caregiver. To obtain information about activities, participation and contextual factors, an original questionnaire was employed, and to evaluate the impact of wheelchair the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS) was applied. Results: The results show that, in general, psychosocial impact associated to wheelchair use is positive, with the type of wheelchair, correct matching between AT-person and mobility independence as the main determinants. Conclusion: Knowledge of how the wheelchair is incorporated into a user’s daily life will help him/her to reach his/her objectives and expectations, and to establish the social and personal benefits derived from its use. Independence in personal mobility is the main factor determining a positive impact on the quality of life associated with wheelchair use

Determining the burden of the family caregivers of people with neuromuscular diseases who use a wheelchair

Observational study[Abstract] The present study provides a basic outline of the care and support that family caregivers offer to people affected by neuromuscular diseases. To determine the presence of burden in caregivers of people with neuromuscular diseases who use a wheelchair and to establish whether the presence of burden is influenced by contextual factors, between them, the use of wheelchair. The applied design was cross-sectional and descriptive. The data were collected through a specific questionnaire, the Functional Independence Measure, the Matching Person and Technology form and the Zarit Burden Interview. The caregiver burden was analyzed in relation to different characteristics of the affected people, their wheelchairs, and factors related to the family caregivers themselves. The sample consisted of 41 caregivers, most of them (78.1%) being parents of the affected people. The burden was detected in 71.7% of caregivers. The level of dependence was not related to the presence of burden. Performing care work affected carers’ physical health (80.5%), their mood (68.3%), and reduced their leisure time (90.2%). The type of wheelchair and the frequency of its use were not related to the burden. The results suggest that caregivers perceive burden, but its intensity is not related to the seriousness of the disease of the care receiver

An Occupational Therapy Approach to Sexuality in People with Acquired Brain Injury in a Subacute Setting

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Sexuality and Disability. The final authenticated version is available online at Srpinger Link[Abstract] To analyze if people with acquired brain injury in sub-acute situation, as well as their relatives and/or partners, consider relevant the approach to sexuality during their Occupational Therapy intervention. This study presents a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach. Twelve participants were interviewed: eight people with acquired brain injury, two relatives and two partners who agreed to participate. The information has been collected through interviews. According to the interviews, the following categories have emerged: changes and everyday life, the taboo of sex and its relation to gender and the relevance of counselling. Participants consider sexuality as another activity of daily living, which has been modified due to acquired brain injury. Not only does the taboo of sex condition the subject, but it is also influenced by the individual’s gender. In addition, the counselling by the professionals involved in the rehabilitation process is the main intervention claimed by the participants of this study. The participants consider sexuality as an activity of daily living. Therefore, the occupational therapist who follows the holistic conception of the people must consider sexuality in the intervention process

Exploring the psychosocial impact of wheelchair and contextual factors on quality of life of people with neuromuscular disorders

[Abstract] Neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) are a group of heterogeneous diseases that show differences in incidence, hereditary, etiology, prognosis, or functional impairments. Wheelchair use (manual or powered) is influenced by several factors, including personal and contextual factors, and comprehensive evaluation of their impact is required in order to optimize prescription and provision of wheelchairs. The authors therefore assessed the influence of wheelchair use on the quality of life (QoL) of 60 participants with NMD using the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS). The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and a specially developed questionnaire were used to obtain information about contextual factors and participants’ activity profile of activities of the participants. The results showed that using a wheelchair has psychosocial benefits, with the main determinants of benefit being type of wheelchair (powered), non-ambulation ability, and independence in mobility. Ensuring a good match between user and assistive technology (AT; e.g., wheelchair), as well as the effectiveness of the particular device, will increase the likelihood that the user will adopt it and use it effectively in daily life. Clinical prescription of AT would be improved by making appropriate use of outcome measures