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- Hemmingsson, Helena, 1957-, et al.
(author)
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Eye-Gaze Control Technology as Early Intervention for a Non-Verbal Young Child with High Spinal Cord Injury : A Case Report
- 2018
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In: Technologies. - : MDPI AG. - 2227-7080. ; 6:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Assistive technology (AT) can be used as early intervention in order to reduce activity limitations in play and communication. This longitudinal case study examines eye-gaze control technology as early intervention for a young child with high spinal cord injury without the ability to make sounds. The young child was followed by repeated measures concerning performance and communication from baseline at 9 months to 26 months, and finalized at 36 months by field observations in the home setting. The results showed eye-gaze performance and frequency of use of eye-gaze control technology increased over time. Goals set at 15 months concerning learning and using the AT; naming objects and interactions with family was successfully completed at 26 months. Communicative functions regarding obtaining objects and social interaction increased from unintentional actions to purposeful choices and interactions. At 36 months, the toddler was partly independent in eye gazing, used all activities provided, and made independent choices. In conclusion, the results show that a 9-month-old child with profound motor disabilities can benefit from eye-gaze control technology in order to gradually perform activities, socially interact with family members, and make choices.
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| 3. |
- Klang, Nina, 1978-, et al.
(author)
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Barn med flerfunktionsnedsättning - samspel och social inkludering : Rapport från ett samverkansprojekt
- 2019
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Vi presenterar en rapport från ett samarbetsprojekt mellan lärare från en skola i Uppsala och forskare från Uppsala och Stockholms universitet. Idén till projektet uppkom i samband med en AIMday funktionshinder, då lärarna i en grundsärskoleklass med elever med flerfunktionsnedsättning kom med frågan “Hur främjar man inkludering?” Några år innan projektet startade flyttades grundsärskolan till lokaler som är avgränsade från resten av skolan. Skolgårdarna låg inte nära varandra vilket innebar att eleverna från grundsärskolan och grundskolan inte möttes naturligt på rasterna. Organisationen förändrades också så att olika rektorer ansvarade för grundsärskolan och grundskolan. Lärarna på grundsärskolan upplevde att deras elever var isolerade och att de skulle ha glädje av mer kontakt med elever från grundskolan. För att få till stånd en förändring påbörjade de ett samarbete med förskoleklassen där eleverna från förskoleklassen besökte grundsärskoleklassen. Lärarna ville ha stöd från forskare i projektet. Ett samarbete startade och lekaktiviteter för att främja samspelet mellan barn med och utan funktionsnedsättningar prövades. Forskarna deltog som bollplank, följde lekaktiviteterna med hjälp av videoobservationer och intervjuer. Forskarna och lärarna diskuterade och dokumenterade de rutiner lärarna redan påbörjat. Projektet genomfördes med stöd från Vinnova Step-up och Forum för samverkan vid Uppsala universitet.
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| 6. |
- Townend, Gillian S, et al.
(author)
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Development of consensus-based guidelines for managing communication of individuals with Rett syndrome
- 2020
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In: Augmentative and Alternative Communication. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 0743-4618 .- 1477-3848. ; 36:2, s. 71-81
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Difficulties with communication have a profound impact on the lives of individuals with Rett syndrome and their caregivers. Globally, many families report difficulty accessing appropriate and timely information and services from professionals with expertise in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) as it pertains to Rett syndrome. To address this need, international consensus-based guidelines for managing the communication of individuals with Rett syndrome were developed by combining available evidence and lived experience with expert opinion. A two-phase Delphi survey was built on statements and recommendations extracted from a review of over 300 pieces of literature combined with survey responses from communication professionals and caregivers. All statements that reached a pre-determined threshold of >= 70% agreement were incorporated into guidelines that consist of 268 statements and recommendations relating to (a) rights of the individual; (b) beliefs and attitudes of communication partners; (c) professional knowledge and team work; (d) strategies to optimize engagement; (e) assessment; and (f) intervention (targets and goals, techniques), including the use of AAC. To date, this project is the largest of its kind, with 650 participants from 43 countries contributing to development of consensus-based guidelines for Rett syndrome.
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| 7. |
- Wandin, Helena, 1971-, et al.
(author)
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A trained communication partner's use of responsive strategies in aided communication with three adults with Rett syndrome : A case report
- 2022
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In: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-1078. ; 13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: To explore and describe a trained communication partner’s use of responsive strategies in dyadic interaction with adults with Rett syndrome.Introduction: Responsive partner strategies facilitate social, communicative, and linguistic development. The common feature is that the communication partner responds contingently to the other’s focus of attention and interprets their acts as communicative. Research on responsive partner strategies that involves individuals with significant communication and motor disabilities remains sparse. The same applies to if, and how, the use of communication aids impacts on the partner’s use of responsive strategies.Materials and methods: A therapist, trained in responsive partner strategies and aided communication interacted during 14 sessions with each of three participants. The participants were adults with Rett syndrome. A gaze-controlled device and responsive strategies were used during all sessions. The Responsive Augmentative and Alternative Communication Style scale (RAACS) was used to assess the partner’s responsiveness. RAACS consists of 11 items including ratings of to what extent the partner is being attentive to, confirms, and expands the individual’s communication. During eight of the 14 sessions, aided AAC Modelling was also used, i.e., the communication partner pointed at symbols on the gaze-controlled device while interacting. In addition to RAACS, each time the communication partner confirmed or expanded on communication when (a) the participants used the gaze-controlled device and (b) the participants did not use the gaze-controlled device was counted. Descriptive statistics were used to present the results. Non-parametric tests were used to compare means between the two conditions and between participants.Results: Inter-rater agreement for the different RAACS items ranged from 0.73 to 0.96 and was thus found to be fair to excellent. The communication partner’s use of responsive strategies varied when communicating with different participants and the scores were higher when aided AAC modeling was used. The communication partner’s number of responses and use of responsive strategies were higher when the participants communicated through a gaze-controlled device.Conclusion: The communication partner’s use of responsive and scaffolding strategies is not a fixed construct but varies in interactions with different non-speaking persons. The same is true whether the non-speaking person uses a gaze-controlled device with digitized speech or not.
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| 9. |
- Wandin, Helena, 1971-, et al.
(author)
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Aided language modelling, responsive communication and eye-gaze technology as communication intervention for adults with Rett syndrome : three experimental single case studies
- 2021
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In: Disability and Rehabilitation. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1748-3107 .- 1748-3115. ; 18:7, s. 1011-1025
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose To examine the effect of a communication intervention package on expressive communication and visual attention in individuals with Rett syndrome. Materials and methods A modified withdrawal (A-B1-A1-B2-A2) single case experimental design with a direct inter-subject replication across three participants was applied. Three women with Rett syndrome participated. The study took place over a six-week period and comprised 32 sessions with each participant. All sessions were video recorded. During the intervention the communication partner used aided language modelling on a gaze-controlled device in combination with using responsive partner strategies. Expressive communication was assessed as synthesised words per minute and unique synthesised words per minute. Visual attention was assessed as rate of focused gazes (1 s or longer) in interaction. Results An intervention effect was found on the rate of unique words for all participants. The rate of words increased for two participants when the intervention was introduced but no withdrawal effect could be seen. An intervention effect on visual attention could be seen for one participant. The intervention appeared to have social validity as reported by caregivers. Conclusion Aided language modelling (ALM), while using responsive partner strategies and a gaze-controlled device may be used with adult individuals with Rett syndrome to increase their rate of expressive communication. Detailed observational measures revealed individual learning patterns, which may provide clinically valuable insights.
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| 13. |
- Wandin, Helena, 1971-, et al.
(author)
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Communication intervention in Rett syndrome : a survey of speech language pathologists in Swedish health services
- 2015
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In: Disability and Rehabilitation. - : Informa Healthcare. - 0963-8288 .- 1464-5165. ; 37:15, s. 1324-1333
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: To investigate communication intervention that speech language pathologists (SLPs) provide to people with Rett syndrome. Methods: A web-based survey targeting all Swedish SLPs working with people currently receiving support from habilitation services. Results: The SLPs reportedly followed recommended practice in the following aspects: (1) Information on communicative function was collected from several sources, including observation in well-known settings and reports from the client s social network, (2) Multimodal communication was promoted and, (3) Responsive partner strategies were largely targeted in the intervention. However, few instruments or standard procedures were used and partner instruction was given informally. Most SLPs used communication aids in the intervention and their general impression of using communication aids was positive. Further, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) was estimated to increase and clarify communicative contributions from the person. Conclusions: Communication aids were reported to have a positive influence on communicative functions. Swedish SLP services followed best practice in several aspects, but there are areas with potential for development. Tools and best practice guidelines are needed to support SLPs in the AAC process for clients with Rett syndrome.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Wandin, Helena, 1971-, et al.
(author)
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Development of a tool to assess visual attention in Rett syndrome : a pilot study
- 2020
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In: Augmentative and Alternative Communication. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 0743-4618 .- 1477-3848. ; 36:2, s. 118-127
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This was a two-phase study that aimed to (a) develop a tool for assessing visual attention in individuals with Rett syndrome using AAC with a communication partner during naturalistic interactions in clinical settings; and (b) explore aspects of the tool's reliability, validity, and utility. The Assessment of Visual Attention in Interaction (AVAI) tool was developed to assess visual attention operationalized as focused gazes (1 s or longer) at the communication partner, an object, and a symbol set. For the study, six video-recorded interactions with nine female participants diagnosed with Rett syndrome (range: 15-52-years-old) were used to calculate intra- and inter-rater agreement, and 18 recorded interactions were analyzed to examine sensitivity to change and acceptability. There was a significant difference in the AVAI results between two conditions (with and without aided-language modeling). Inter-rater agreement ranged from moderate and strong. There was a range in scores, indicating that the AVAI could differentiate between participants. The AVAI was found to be reliable, able to detect change, and acceptable to the participants. This tool could potentially be used for evaluating interventions that utilize aided AAC.
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| 17. |
- Wandin, Helena, 1971-
(author)
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Gaze-Based Assistive Technology : Usefulness in Clinical Assessments
- 2017
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In: Harnessing the Power of Technology to Improve Lives. - : IOS Press. - 9781614997979 - 9781614997986 ; , s. 1113-1118
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Gaze-based assistive technology was used in informal clinical assessments. Excerpts of medical journals were analyzed by directed content analysis using a model of communicative competence. The results of this pilot study indicate that gaze-based assistive technology is a useful tool in communication assessments that can generate clinically relevant information.
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| 22. |
- Wandin, Helena, 1971-
(author)
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Språk hos barn med funktionsnedsättning
- 2012
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In: Barn med funktionsnedsättning. - Lund : Studentlitteratur. - 9789144071879
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Book chapter (pop. science, debate, etc.)
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| 23. |
- Wandin, Helena, 1971-
(author)
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Symbol-based communication intervention for individuals with Rett syndrome : Current practices, assessment of visual attention, and communication partner strategies
- 2020
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Individuals with Rett syndrome need extensive support to actively participate in social interaction and to develop their communication. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate communication intervention for individuals with Rett syndrome, especially aided symbol-based communication and partner strategies.Study I was a cross-sectional survey exploring services provided by speech language pathologists (SLPs) in Sweden. Communication aids were often used in the intervention and were found to be useful. Few SLPs used systematic tools for assessment and evaluation and communication partners were often instructed through informal conversations.In study II, a tool (AVAI) for assessing visual attention in interaction was developed and its psychometric properties were explored. AVAI was also used as an outcome measure in study III. In both studies, the tool was found to be reliable, able to detect change and acceptable to the participants.In study III, a single case experimental design was applied to evaluate an intervention consisting of aided language modelling whilst using responsive partner strategies and a gaze-controlled device. The adult participants with Rett syndrome (n=3) increased their expressive communication following individual learning patterns. The intervention was appreciated by the participants’ social network.Study IV was a case study exploring and describing a communication partner’s use of responsive and scaffolding partner strategies in interaction with individuals with Rett syndrome (n=3). The use of these strategies varied in interaction with different individuals with Rett syndrome. The communication partner responded more frequently to communication through a gaze-controlled device than unaided communication.In conclusion, gaze-controlled devices should be considered in communication intervention with individuals with Rett syndrome. Systematic tools and procedures should be applied in interventions, which is not the case in current clinical practice. Adults with Rett syndrome are able to develop their communication which highlights the need for communication support throughout their lifetime.
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