ERIC Number: EJ754332
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 10
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0891-4222
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Fostering Adaptive Responses and Head Control in Students with Multiple Disabilities through a Microswitch-Based Program: Follow-Up Assessment and Program Revision
Lancioni, Giulio E.; Singh, Nirbhay N.; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Sigafoos, Jeff; Didden, Robert; Oliva, Doretta; Severini, Laura
Research in Developmental Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, v28 n2 p187-196 Mar-Apr 2007
A program was recently developed to promote adaptive responses and upright head position in students with multiple disabilities through the use of microswitch clusters (i.e., combinations of two microswitches). The five students exposed to the program showed a significant increase in adaptive responses performed with head upright. The first purpose of this study was to carry out a long-term follow-up assessment of the five students' frequencies of adaptive responses and percentages of those responses combined with head upright. Recordings were also made of the length of time the head position was kept during each stimulation period following a successful response event and through the sessions. The second purpose of this study was to arrange a program revision for the students with less favorable data on head upright. The revision consisted of making the stimulation following successful response events synchronous with head upright with a maximum duration of 9 s per event. The results of the follow-up assessment showed that two of the students kept the upright head position for nearly the entire stimulation periods that followed successful response events as well as much of the session time. The other three students kept such position for small or intermediate portions of the stimulation periods and of the session time. For these three students, the revised program was applied with substantial benefits. Implications of the findings were discussed.
Descriptors: Program Effectiveness, Stimulation, Multiple Disabilities, Students, Responses, Adjustment (to Environment), Self Control, Human Posture
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A