Possibilities of battery-free AACloth for augmentative and alternative communication : views of parents of children with cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder that primarily affects body movement, muscle coordination, and muscle tone. Non-progressive brain injury or abnormal brain development that occurs while the child’s brain is under development causes CP. It is estimated that 40–85% of children with CP have communication difficulties. Children with communication difficulties can benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). However, studies have shown that several challenges in using AAC exist. Developing existing AAC methods and creating new AAC solutions are important to enable everyone to communicate and express themselves without barriers. This qualitative study aims to investigate how parents of children with CP would use a wireless and battery-free, passive radio-frequency identification (RFID)-based e-textile—AACloth—as an AAC solution. The research was conducted via an online survey. Parents with a child under 15 with CP and communication difficulties were included. Parents were recruited by distributing the survey invitation via the Finnish CP Association’s monthly newsletter, Facebook page, and social media groups. Nine parents participated. Based on parents’ views, the AACloth could solve some of the challenges associated with existing AAC methods. This research provides perspectives on what kinds of factors should be considered when developing existing and new AAC aids.Peer reviewe

Towards E-textiles in augmentative and alternative communication–user scenarios developed by speech and language therapists

Purpose: E-textiles have been the focus of interest in health technology, but little research has been done so far on how they could support persons with complex communication needs. A global estimate is that 97 million people may benefit from Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Unfortunately, despite the growing body of research, many persons with complex communication needs are left without functional means to communicate. This study aimed to address the lack of research in textile-based AAC and to build a picture of the issues that affect novel textile-based technology development. Materials and methods: We arranged a focus group study for altogether 12 speech and language therapists to elicit user scenarios to understand needs, activities, and contexts when implementing a novel, textile-based technology in a user-centred approach. Results and conclusion: As a result, we present six user scenarios that were created for children to enhance their social interaction in everyday life when using textile-based technology that recognizes touch or detects motion. The persistent availability and the individual design to meet a person’s capability along with ease of use and personalization were perceived important requirements. Through these scenarios, we identified technological constraints regarding the development of e-textile technology and its use in the AAC field, such as issues regarding sensors and providing power supply. Resolving the design constraints will lead to a feasible and portable e-textile AAC system.Implications for rehabilitation E-textiles are a novel approach to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for children with motor dysfunctions and intellectual disabilities. -A portable AAC system implementing e-textiles for children with complex communication needs will enable several activities in daily-life situations. Therefore, further research is needed to resolve the design constraints to reduce the bulkiness of technology embedded in textiles, e.g., looking into the possibilities of passive and battery-free solutions. The developed user scenarios offer a starting point for developing initial prototypes for touch-based and motion-detection systems to enhance social interaction and motivation for persons with complex communication needs.Peer reviewe

Utilizing Zoom-stamps in synchronous online workshop implementations

In engineering education, and in work life in general, the past two years have been struggling with Covid-19 pandemic. When considering studying, learning, and working, the teachers and other facilitators have been forced to create innovative methods for online working, aiming to good work efficiency, student engagement, and learning results. Along the development of various online working possibilities, it has been noticed that especially interaction among participants in synchronous online sessions is a challenge. Even if some participants are actively discussing and working in online sessions, some participants remain very silent and indistinguishable. Furthermore, even though the technical tools for online working and learning have developed rapidly during the recent years, technical problems still exist quite often. There are numerous ways for increasing interaction in online sessions, including, for example, asking questions, using camera, utilizing chat or third-party applications like Padlet, and small group discussions in breakout rooms. In this paper, we will present how we utilized Zoom-stamps in two types of workshops. The basic idea in utilizing Zoom-stamps was to increase interaction and communication among participants and help them to further develop ideas created and discussed in the workshop. The lessons learnt from the first type implementations were considered when planning the second type implementations. We will describe the pros and cons of the Zoom-stamp utilization in synchronous online working as well as share our future development ideas.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

The Role of Games in Overcoming the Barriers to Paediatric Speech Therapy Training

In addition to training at the therapists’, an important part of paediatric speech therapy is home practice with parents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the barriers in home practice from the perspective of speech-language pathologists (SLP). Another goal was to gather an understanding on the role of games in speech therapy and how games could be used to overcome the above barriers. Participants were 26 SLPs in Finland who participated in an online questionnaire. Our findings indicate that successful speech therapy home practice is affected by multiple factors, such as resources, motivation and commitment, but also by multiple stakeholders. According to our results, SLPs are active users of games. The games SLPs use in their clinical work are self-made, speech therapy-targeted games (board games, digital games, functional games), commercial board games, and commercial digital games. SLPs commonly use games as platforms that they modify for different purposes. The games are used to make the speech therapy training itself playful, and playing a game is used as a reward after training. Based on our results, the supporting role of games in speech therapy is recognized by SLPs but there is still great unused potential.Peer reviewe

Possibilities of intelligent textiles in AAC - perspectives of speech and language therapists

PURPOSE The growth of new high-technology devices in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has been rapid. However, a vast number of individuals with complex communication needs are left without functional means to communicate in their lives. Intelligent textiles are one of the growing industries in health technologies yet to be explored for the possibility of implementation as an AAC solution. This study aimed to investigate the potential of intelligent textiles and their functions in daily life perceived by experienced speech and language therapists and to obtain data, which will offer direction on how to proceed with prototype development. MATERIALS AND METHODS Focus group discussions were conducted remotely within two groups of experienced speech and language therapists (n = 12). The data obtained from the discussions were analysed thematically. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION According to the stakeholders in question, intelligent textiles were perceived most useful for individuals with motor disabilities and those with severe intellectual disabilities. The most prominent themes for the purpose of using the intelligent textiles were social interaction and accessing meaningful activities independently. The participants also described how this technology could be used in terms of the textile, the input needed and the output the technology provides. The versatile results are discussed along with directions for future research. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION • Wireless textile-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies are a new alternative to AAC designs using rigid electronics. • Intelligent textile-based AAC may help specifically those with motor impairments and intellectual disabilities. • The technological solution should adapt to the capability rather than the disability.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

E-textiles Assisting Healthcare, Rehabilitation, and Well-being - To whom, for What, and How?

The use of e-textiles in healthcare, rehabilitation, and well-being (referred here as assistive e-textiles) is spreading for its obvious benefits, such as monitoring of physiological signals and vital signs. Although there are versatile studies on individual applications of assistive e-textiles, there are not many that include in the design process a wide variety of stakeholders who have roles in development or use of assistive technology. To provide stakeholder-oriented design knowledge regarding the development of assistive e-textiles, we organized five multidisciplinary ideation workshops for 50 participants with different backgrounds and roles. Many distinct ideas were created that targets a diverse set of users from different age groups, ability levels and even for non-human actors. Participants came up with ideas related to work environment, rehabilitation, healthcare, and daily life. This article presents those findings and discusses how those can help designers and researchers in the field.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe