Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Volume 18, Issue 10, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18105134
Keywords
complex communication needs; severe physical disabilities; eye-gaze controlled computer; communicative interaction
Funding
- Vetenskapsradet/Swedish Research Council [2015-02427]
- Swedish Research Council [2015-02427] Funding Source: Swedish Research Council
- Vinnova [2015-02427] Funding Source: Vinnova
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The study found that the use of eye-gaze assistive technology (EGAT) can help increase initiations and information provision from children/youths during communicative interactions, while reducing communicative turns, initiations, and requests from communication partners in comparison to the Non-EGAT condition. Communication activities, eye-control skills, and communication abilities may influence dyadic interaction.
Use of eye-gaze assistive technology (EGAT) provides children/youths with severe motor and speech impairments communication opportunities by using eyes to control a communication interface on a computer. However, knowledge about how using EGAT contributes to communication and influences dyadic interaction remains limited. Aim: By video-coding dyadic interaction sequences, this study investigates the impacts of employing EGAT, compared to the Non-EGAT condition on the dyadic communicative interaction. Method: Participants were six dyads with children/youths aged 4-19 years having severe physical disabilities and complex communication needs. A total of 12 film clips of dyadic communication activities with and without EGAT in natural contexts were included. Based on a systematic coding scheme, dyadic communication behaviors were coded to determine the interactional structure and communicative functions. Data were analyzed using a three-tiered method combining group and individual analysis. Results: When using EGAT, children/youths increased initiations in communicative interactions and tended to provide more information, while communication partners made fewer communicative turns, initiations, and requests compared to the Non-EGAT condition. Communication activities, eye-control skills, and communication abilities could influence dyadic interaction. Conclusion: Use of EGAT shows potential to support communicative interaction by increasing children's initiations and intelligibility, and facilitating symmetrical communication between dyads.
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