Literature for Assistive Technology

Question :

Conduct an in-depth review of the literature for assistive technology population of children birth to 5 years of age. Using the course textbook, textbooks from other the research literature found through the Mason library.

Answer :

Assistive technology 

Assistive technology can be defined as a device, equipment, or software that helps individuals to work effectively and efficiently around their challenges. Technology has been developed tremendously that has helped people in every aspect of their lives. Nowadays, technology is everywhere in people's lives. There are different and specific tools that can significantly help people to learn and think differently. Considering the impact of technology, various tools have been developed to assist children with special needs in order to help them to learn and grow. It helps in improving communication and function effectively (Federici & Scherer, 2017). It can level the playing field for children with disabilities such as hearing, mobility, and vision impairment. A wheelchair is one of the best examples of assistive technologies. However, it is believed that assistive technology is cheating which is only a myth. It is also believed that children who use assistive technology become too reliant on it. Hence, if they do not use assistive technology, their efficiency and effectiveness reduce significantly. Thus, this literature review paper has been developed to analyze different scholarly articles and journals related to assistive technology for children with disabilities (birth to five years of age). In order to accomplish this paper. various scholarly articles have been critically reviewed and analyzed. It will help in gaining in-depth knowledge about the concerned topic. 

Overview of the disability 

Disability can be defined as a condition of the body or mind that creates difficult for individuals to do certain activities with the condition as well as interact with the world. Disability creates restrictions for individual to perform a particular task. There are many types of disabilities such as vision, movement, remembering, thinking, communicating, mental health, social relationship, learning, etc. Disability has three dimensions such as impairment, activity limitation, as well as participation restrictions. Impairment includes loss of vision, loss of limb, memory loss, etc. Activity limitation includes difficulty seeing, problem solving, hearing and walking (Valle & Connor, 2019). Participation restrictions includes difficulty in working, engaging in social as well as recreational activities, obtaining preventive as well as health care services.

Medical aspect of assistive technology 

Assistive technology is used as medical devices to help the individuals to face their challenge. The main purpose of assistive technology to maintain or improve functioning of individuals. It also helps in facilitating participation in social functioning as well as enhancing overall well-being of individuals. Assistive technology is also used to prevent impairment as well as secondary health condition of individuals. Some of the key assistive devices that are recommended by healthcare facilities are wheelchair, hearing aids, prostheses, visual aids, as well as specialized computer hardware and software that improve hearing, mobility, vision, and communication ability (Wilkowska & Ziefle, 2018). Assistive technology helps in preventing impairment or disability as well as assists an individual suffering from impairment or disability to function effectively. 

Impact of assistive technology on the development in the birth to 5-year old population

Assistive technology has positive impact on children with disability and help them to develop. Disability or impairment significantly affect the growth and development of children up to five years old. Disability or impairment restrict or reduces the ability of children up to five years old to learn social and cognitive skills and motor skills. Assistive technology helps children to face their challenges and learn these skills effectively (McNicholl et a., 2019). For example, a child is suffering from ear disorder due to that he or she cannot hear. It will directly affect his or her learning ability and communication skills. With the help of hearings aids, the hearing ability of the child can be improved. It will help the child to learn different skills such as social and cognitive skills as well as motor skills. Therefore, it can be said that assistive technology helps in growth and development of children up to five years. 

Evidence-based practices 

Evidence-based practices can be defined as the integration of the best research evidences with clinical expertise as well as patient values that helps in improving the patient outcomes. There are three fundamentals components of evidence-based practices such as individual clinical expertise, best external evidence, and patient values and expectations (Perelmutter et al., 2017). There are several evidence-based practices that can be provided to children up to five years to help in their development such as home-school collaboration, inclusion in every aspect of life, etc. 

Review of literature 

According to Van der Roest et al., 2017 children with disabilities face various forms of social exclusion that cut them off from education, health, as well as social services. Disability is a major challenge for them because it significantly limits their participation in society, community, and family. They cannot completely as well as actively participate in family and society due to their disabilities. Disabilities reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of children along with their performance and productivity. Their ability to do the work reduces considerably. This isolation or social exclusion may have a lasting effect on participation in civic life as well as future employment opportunities. Therefore, there is a need to come up with an effective solution to make them able to actively and completely participate in the family, society, and community. Some sort of services and technologies (commonly called assistive technology) can enable such children to take their place in family, society, and community and make a significant contribution to the growth and development of the family, society, and community.

According to Ienca et al., 2017 assistive technology is one of the major breakthroughs to assist children with disabilities and help them to overcome their challenges to participate in family and social functions effectively. With the help of assistive technology, children with disabilities can learn and progress even in the classroom. There are various benefits of assistive technology such as assistive technology helps in walking, reading, writing, and many more. The efficiency and effectiveness of children with disabilities improve significantly due to assistive technology. As the efficiency and effectiveness of children with disabilities improve, their performance and productivity also improve. One of the major benefits of assistive technology is that assistive technology helps in mitigating social exclusion as well as isolation.

According to Smith et al., 2018 assistive technology is very important for children with disabilities because it helps the children disability to accept their challenges and overcome that. It includes products as well as services that improve the functioning of individuals with disabilities. It could be instrumental for the health and development of children. It also improves the participation of children in several facets of life such as communication, self-care, family relationship, mobility, household tasks, education, as well as engagement in play and recreation. There is a significant impact of assistive technology on the quality of life of children with a disability because it improves or enhances the quality of life of both children with disabilities as well as their families. Thus, children with disabilities should be provided with assistive technology so that they cannot feel isolated or excluded from society.

According to Moody et al., 2019 it is necessary to identify children with disabilities who should be provided with assistive technology in order to assist them to improve their health, education as well as participation in social services. If children with disabilities will not be identified and not be provided with assistive technology, they cannot improve their health and education and hence their quality of life cannot be improved. CRPD has defined children with disabilities. Children with disabilities include those children who have long-term physical, mental, sensory, or intellectual impairment that hinder the effective and full participation of children in the society on an equal basis with other members of society. The estimates of the pervasiveness of children with disabilities vary significantly with a country as well as across countries depending upon measures as well as the definition of disability. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities calls for measures in order to address disability at different levels. Some of the key measures are health services, assistive technology services, habilitation as well as rehabilitation services. For example, if a child is suffering from clubfoot and it is not treated effectively and successfully, he or she needs a wheelchair for long-term use. Similarly, other types of impairment require other types of assistive technology such as low-vision glasses to help in overcoming vision challenges.

According to Desmond et al., 2018 assistive technology is used to assist children with disabilities in order to enhance their living standards. It is used as an umbrella term for assistive products as well as assistive or related services. Assistive products are also called assistive devices. Several definitions of assistive technology have been proposed. One of the definitions of assistive technology has been given by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. It defines assistive technology as a product, instrument, technology, or equipment that is specially designed and developed for enhancing the functioning of an individual with a disability. The assistive technology is used for participation as well as to support, protect, train, measure, or substitute for the functions or structures of the body along with different activities. It is also used to prevent impairment, participation restrictions, or activity limitations. Thus, it can be said that assistive technology significantly helps in improving the efficiency and ability of an individual with a disability and remove barriers that hinder or prevent individual to do particular tasks.  

According to Matter et al., 2017,) assistive technology is recommended to children with disabilities considering its impact on children with disabilities. It helps in improving the ability of children with disabilities. It provides various advantages for children with disabilities. Assistive technology is a powerful tool when it is appropriate to the user as well as the environment of the user in order to increase independence as well as improve the participation of children with disabilities. It also helps individuals to become mobile, hear as well as see better, communicate more effectively, as well as participate actively and efficiently in learning activities. Assistive technology supports and helps children with disabilities to assess as well as enjoy their rights. It allows them to do things they value as well as bridge disparities between children with disabilities and without disabilities. Assistive technology provides children with disabilities the means of access to education, social as well as recreational opportunities. It also allows them to participate in educational, social, and recreational opportunities. Assistive technology also helps in empowering greater mental as well as physical function as well as improving self-esteem. This technology also reduces costs for individual supports as well as educational services. 

According to Zolyomi & Snyder, 2020 assistive technology also provides benefits in areas such as health, education, and mobility. In order words, it can be said that health, education, and mobility areas are linked to the use of assistive technology. Assistive technology has a significant socioeconomic impact on the lives of children with disabilities because it improves access to education along with increasing achievement in school. It means assistive technology improves access to education and achievement in school. Thus, the learning process for children with disabilities can improve significantly. It has a significant or long-term impact on the lives of children with disabilities. With the help of such technology, they can easily overcome their challenges and participate in social programs effectively and actively. 

According to de Witte et al., 2018 assistive technology does not only improve the access of children with disabilities to education and school but also facilitates the participation as well as the inclusion of children with disabilities in every aspect of their lives. There is a significant impact of assistive technology on self-image as well as self-esteem. It creates a sense of self-worth in the mind of children with disabilities that provides them strengths to face their physical challenges effectively and efficiently. It increases the level of motivation and morale that is necessary to make them able to stand on their own and believe in themselves. With the help of assistive technology, a sense of confidence can be created in them that will modify their behavior and attitude towards their abilities to do things and achieve the desired position in their lives. Apart from this, assistive technology provides an opportunity for children with disabilities that increase their potential to lead fulfilling lives. They can also contribute significantly to the cultural, social, as well as the economic vitality of their societies and communities.

According to Bhowmick & Hazarika, 2017 assistive technology supports early childhood development. Children with disabilities experience various challenges in their early childhood that lead them to start feeling isolated and excluded from society. It improves education achievement in their early childhood along with avoiding repetition of learning missed because of various educational barriers. Assistive technology has a significant impact on costs because it reduces costs by providing support and help in independent functioning as well as access to healthcare. It also reduces the need for formal support services because children with disabilities with the help of assistive technology can be able to function independently. 

According to Abdullah et al., 2019 access to assistive technology is the right of children with disabilities. It is regarded as a precondition for children with disabilities for achieving equal opportunities, living in dignity, as well as enjoying human rights. Every girl and boy with disabilities are entitled to have access to assistive technology that is available and affordable. It is the national responsibility to ensure this right for all children with disabilities. Apart from the government, international as well as regional organizations along with civil societies are responsible for providing assistive technology and if they are failed to provide assistive technology to children with disabilities, it would be considered as the violations of the right of those children. The government should take effective measures to promote as well as undertake research and development in order to make it available for children with disabilities. The government should also focus on ensuring the availability of new and required technologies such as communication technologies at affordable prices.

Summary 

Assistive technology is very important for all individuals with disabilities due to its impact on their lives. Assistive technology is needed to improve the lives of children with disabilities because it helps them to be independent and do things on their own. Assistive technology provides opportunities for children with disabilities to get access to education opportunities. It helps them to face their challenges and overcome them. With the help of assistive technology, they can enjoy the rights of humans and feel connected to society.

References 

Abdallah, W., Vella, F., Vigouroux, N., Van den Bossche, A., & Val, T. (2019, July). A Collaborative Talking Assistive Technology for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders. International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 3-12). Springer, Cham.

Bhowmick, A., & Hazarika, S. M. (2017). An insight into assistive technology for the visually impaired and blind people: state-of-the-art and future trends. Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces, 11(2), 149-172.

de Witte, L., Steel, E., Gupta, S., Ramos, V. D., & Roentgen, U. (2018). Assistive technology provision: towards an international framework for assuring availability and accessibility of affordable high-quality assistive technology. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 13(5), 467-472.

Desmond, D., Layton, N., Bentley, J., Boot, F. H., Borg, J., Dhungana, B. M., ... & Mavrou, K. (2018). Assistive technology and people: a position paper from the first global research, innovation, and education on assistive technology (GREAT) summit. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 13(5), 437-444.

Federici, S., & Scherer, M. (2017). Assistive technology assessment handbook. CRC press.

Ienca, M., Fabrice, J., Elger, B., Caon, M., Scoccia Pappagallo, A., Kressig, R. W., & Wangmo, T. (2017). Intelligent assistive technology for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias: a systematic review. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 56(4), 1301-1340.

Matter, R., Harniss, M., Oderud, T., Borg, J., & Eide, A. H. (2017). Assistive technology in resource-limited environments: A scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 12(2), 105-114.

McNicholl, A., Casey, H., Desmond, D., & Gallagher, P. (2019). The impact of assistive technology use for students with disabilities in higher education: a systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 1-14.

Moody, L., York, N., Ozkan, G., & Cobley, A. (2019). Bringing Assistive Technology Innovation and Material Science Together Through Design. In Innovation in Medicine and Healthcare Systems, and Multimedia (pp. 305-315). Springer, Singapore.

Perelmutter, B., McGregor, K. K., & Gordon, K. R. (2017). Assistive technology interventions for adolescents and adults with learning disabilities: An evidence-based systematic review and meta-analysis. Computers & education, 114, 139-163.

Smith, R. O., Scherer, M. J., Cooper, R., Bell, D., Hobbs, D. A., Pettersson, C., ... & Sujatha, S. (2018). Assistive technology products: a position paper from the first global research, innovation, and education on assistive technology (GREAT) summit. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 13(5), 473-485.

Valle, J. W., & Connor, D. J. (2019). Rethinking disability: A disability studies approach to inclusive practices. Routledge.

Van der Roest, H. G., Wenborn, J., Pastink, C., Dröes, R. M., & Orrell, M. (2017). Assistive technology for memory support in dementia. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (6).

Wilkowska, W., & Ziefle, M. (2018, March). Determinants of Trust in Acceptance of Medical Assistive Technologies. In International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health (pp. 45-65). Springer, Cham.

Zolyomi, A., & Snyder, J. (2020). Early adopters of a low vision head-mounted assistive technology. ACM SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing, (122), 1-1.