Objective: To expand recently-developed text messaging systems with new technology-based solutions so as to allow persons with multiple disabilities to write messages.Method: Two case studies were conducted. In Study I, the new technology-based solution involved vocal scanning of the alphabet letters to allow letter selection/writing and was assessed with a woman with blindness and extensive motor disability. In Study II, the new technology-based solution involved a touch-screen superimposed on letter symbols arranged alphabetically and was assessed with a man with acquired brain injury, motor disability and lack of speech. Each study involved an ABAB design.Results: Participants learned to write their messages, to send them out and to listen to incoming messages during intervention sessions of nearly 30 and 20 minutes, respectively.Conclusion: Text messaging systems can be developed that allow participants with multiple disabilities to write messages.
Residential college students (44 men, 51 women) participated in a questionnaire study to clarify the relationship between loneliness, self- or other-focus, and interpersonal needs. Contrary to predictions, loneliness was unrelated to self-focus, other-focus, or the ability to elicit disclosure from others. However, sex differences were found on interpersonal needs. Specifically, loneliness in men was predicted by a lack of expressed inclusion and a desire for control from others, while loneliness in women was predicted by a lack of expressed affection. These findings suggest that lonely men and women may benefit from different intervention strategies. Outcome studies are needed to ensure that such interventions actually reduce loneliness.
In this chapter we will describe some of the most important technologies that have been developed within the discipline of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) to support individuals with developmental disabilities. We will begin with a brief background description of ABA to familiarize the audience with this discipline. We will then describe ABA technologies to teach new skills to individuals. Finally, we will describe the use of ABA technology to assess and support individuals with challenging behaviour.
Objective: To assess whether two persons with multiple disabilities could learn a work activity (i.e., assembling trolley wheels) with the support of a technology system.
Purpose: To investigate the congruent validity of a structured interview protocol for assessing the preferences of seven children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Method: Using the structured interview protocol described by Green et al., parents were asked to provide a rank ordering of their child's preferred foods, drinks, toys and sensory stimuli. The resulting rank order was then compared to the results of a multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment by calculating the Spearman rank order correlation coefficients.Results: The results revealed a high level of correspondence between the rank orderings of both assessments for four of the six participants for food and drink items and four of the seven participants for play items and sensory stimuli.Conclusion: Results support the use of the structured interview protocol to determine the preferences of children with ASD. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Bullying has been described as a dangerous, pervasive social problem (Rigby, 2008). Children and young people involved in bullying tend to demonstrate greater evidence of psychosocial issues than those who have not been involved, including conduct problems, emotional disturbances, and difficulties in peer relationships (Nansel et al., 2001; Smith, Talamelli, Cowie, Naylor & Chauhan, 2004). Victims of bullying may experience increased depression, stress and hopelessness, decreased self-esteem, and may be more likely to self-harm or attempt to commit suicide (Coggan, Bennett, Hooper & Dickinson, 2003). Bullying perpetration or victimisation in adolescence can predict an increased likelihood of mental health and social adjustment problems in adulthood (e.g., anxiety, personality disorders, substance dependence, aggressive offending) (Gibb, Horwood & Fergusson, 2011). To be classified as bullying the behaviour must be repeated, have the intention of causing harm, and involve a physical or social power imbalance (Olweus, 1993). This behaviour can take various forms including physical or verbal aggression, relational aggression (e.g., spreading gossip, socially excluding others), or cyber-bullying, which is bullying through the use of electronic communication devices (Craig, Pepler & Blais, 2007; Wang, Iannotti & Nansel, 2009). Approximately 10-12% of children worldwide report having experienced bullying (Craig et al., 2009; Cross et al., 2011; Liang, Flisher & Lombard, 2007; Nansel et al., 2001; Ortega et al., 2012) and there is some evidence to suggest that the prevalence of bullying in New Zealand may be higher than in other countries. In a survey of 3,265 New Zealand high school students, 27% reported having experienced 'chronic' bullying in the previous six months (i.e., five or more separate incidents) (Coggan et al., 2003). Furthermore, in a recent international study, New Zealand was ranked fourth-highest of 50 countries in terms of bullying prevalence for school students (Mullis, Martin, Foy & Arora, 2012). Nearly one third (31%) of Year Five students indicated that they were bullied 'about weekly', significantly higher than the international average of 20% (Mullis et al., 2012). This concerning statistic may be due in part to the structure of New Zealand's public school system, where each school is governed by a Board of Trustees, meaning that individual schools may not have an explicit anti-bullying administrative policy (Slee et al., in press). The social-ecological systems perspective on bullying (Swearer & Espelage, 2011) proposes that bullying is a complex social phenomenon, influenced by the interaction of multiple inter- and intra-individual factors. The perspective suggests that bullying among children and young people must be understood across individual, family, peer, school, and community contexts (Swearer & Espelage, 2011). In New Zealand, the majority of bullying research has involved children as participants (e.g., Coggan et al., 2003; Fenaughty & Harre, 2013; Jose, Kljakovic, Sheib & Notter, 2011; Marsh, McGee, Nada-Raja & Williams, 2010; Raskauskas, 2010; Raskauskas, Gregory, Harvey, Rifshana & Evans, 2010). The relatively few New Zealand studies involving adult participants have focused primarily on the perspectives of school staff. For example, Green, Harcourt, Mattioni, and Prior (2013) and Mattioni (2012) examined the experiences and perceptions of teachers and principals in relation to bullying, while Cushman, Clelland, and Hornby (2011) reported the perspectives of school staff on bullying as part of a wider study focusing on student mental health and wellbeing. These studies appear to have explored bullying within only one context, namely the school. Although bullying research in New Zealand does not appear to have included parents as participants, international research demonstrates the important role played by parents and families in the social-ecological network of influences on bullying. …
Objective: To assess whether a man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis could benefit from using (a) a mouth pressure microswitch instead of an optic microswitch activated via head movement and (b) a special word prediction function within a text messaging system.
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