RESUMEN
This communication will present an educative and research project that has linked the creation of 3D Assistive Technology (AT) for people with disabilities with the training of students of secondary education. STEMBach educational program aims to provide quality scientific education to secondary school students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through research projects. Specifically, the text focuses on one project proposed by the TALIONIS research group, which uses 3D printers to design and create assistive technology (AT) for people with disabilities. The project involves students from eight different high schools and ten individuals with disabilities from four non-governmental organizations. The students design and print the AT using software such as Tinkercad and Cura Software. After testing the AT, outcome measurement instruments are used to validate their effectiveness. The project is based on a Learning-by-doing methodology with a structure of service-learning, and the involvement of the students is voluntary. The objectives of the project are to involve the students in research and innovation, to generate resources and AT for people with disabilities, and to determine the effects of AT on the lives of its users. Finally, the project leads to identifying new needs of people with disabilities that could be addressed through further research work.
Asunto(s)
Instituciones Académicas , Dispositivos de Autoayuda , Humanos , Aprendizaje , Escolaridad , EstudiantesRESUMEN
AIMS: To determine the psychosocial impact of assistive technology(AT) based on robotics and artificial intelligence in the life of people with disabilities. BACKGROUND: The best match between any person with disabilities and its AT only can be gotten through a complete assessment and monitoring of his/her needs, abilities, priorities, difficulties and limitations. Without this analysis, it's possible that the device won't meet the individual's expectations. Therefore, it is important that any project focused on the development of innovating AT for people with disabilities includes the perspective of outcome measures as an important phase of the research. In this sense, the integration of the assessment, implementation process and outcome measures is crucial to guarantee the transferability for the project findings and to get the perspective from the final user. METHODS: Pilot study, with prospective, longitudinal and analytical cohort. The study lasts from July 2020 until April 2023. The sample is formed by people with disabilities, ages from 2-21, that will participate from the first stage of the process (initial assessment of their abilities and needs) to the final application of outcome measures instruments (with a complete implication during the test of technology). DISCUSSION: Only with the active participation of the person is possible to carry out a user-centered approach. This fact will allow us to define and generate technological solutions that really adjust to the expectations, needs and priorities of the people with disabilities, avoiding the AT from being abandoned, with the consequent health and social spending. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials ID: NCT04723784; https://clinicaltrials.gov/.
Asunto(s)
Inteligencia Artificial , Dispositivos de Autoayuda , Consejo , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Proyectos Piloto , Estudios ProspectivosRESUMEN
Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive and degenerative neurological disorder that affects memory, language and communication, thinking, and social skills. The inability to recall incidents and events, especially when symptoms become more prevalent and severe, can cause a person to experience a loss of self or to have doubts about his or her identity. One approach to helping these patients with their memory and language problems is to use memory books, a kind of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tool. The aim of this study was to verify whether the introduction of AAC books could have an impact on conversations about self-identity through an increase of self-positive conversational contents and on improving conversational skills. Three single case studies were carried out with three elderly women with mild, moderate and severe AD, respectively. Each participant was involved in a conversation about their selves in an alternating treatment design (ABAB) without a memory book in phase A and with the aid of this AAC tool in phase B. The results showed a similar conversational response pattern in all participants. AAC aids increased the number of self-positive conversational statements with a reduction in negative, ambiguous and repetitive utterances. In conclusion, AAC memory tools seemed to help participants with dementia to focus their attention on relevant personal information, allowing them to centre the conversation on core positive identity contents, thus improving the quality of the conversations with fewer ambiguous utterances (AU)
La Enfermedad de Alzheimer es una enfermedad neurológica degenerativa y progresiva que afecta a la memoria, el lenguaje y la comunicación, el pensamiento y las habilidades sociales. La incapacidad para recordar incidentes y acontecimientos, cuando los síntomas son más prevalentes y severos, puede causar que la persona experimente una pérdida del self o tenga dudas sobre su identidad. Un enfoque que ayuda con los problemas de memoria y de lenguaje es el uso de los libros de memoria, herramientas de Comunicación Aumentativa y Alternativa (CAA). El objetivo de este estudio es comprobar si la introducción de libros de CAA tiene un impacto en las conversaciones sobre la propia identidad, a través del incremento de contenidos conversacionales positivos sobre "si mismo", y en la mejora de habilidades conversacionales. Se llevaron a cabo tres estudios de caso único con tres mujeres mayores con enfermedad de Alzheimer, leve, moderada y severa, respectivamente. Se implicó a cada participante en una conversación sobre "si misma" en un diseño de tratamientos alternos (ABAB) sin libro de memoria en la fase A y con apoyo de la CAA en B. Los resultados muestran un patrón de respuesta conversacional similar para las tres participantes. Con las ayudas de CAA se incrementaron las frases positivas sobre "si misma" en la conversación y se redujeron las declaraciones negativas, ambiguas y repetitivas. La conclusión es que parece que las herramientas de memoria han ayudado a enfocar la atención sobre información personal relevante, permitiendo centrar la conversación en contenidos básicos de su identidad y mejorando su calidad con menos ambigüedades (AU)