Objectives

The present study evaluated a new smartphone-based program to help 12 participants with intellectual disability plus visual and motor impairments to self-regulate their stimulation input (thus avoiding their dependence on staff) through simple non-verbal responses.

Method

Nonconcurrent multiple baseline designs across participants were used to assess the effects of the program. The technology used for the program involved a Samsung J4 Plus smartphone with Android 9.0 operating system, two voice recording devices, smart-plugs, and a mini speaker. The smartphone was provided with a Google account and Internet connection, which allowed the participants to access Google Assistant and Google Play Music. The participants could make requests for two different types of stimulation (e.g. songs and familiar voices or noises) by activating via hand pressure the two voice recording devices. The verbal request messages emitted by the devices were recognized by the Google Assistant, which led the smartphone to deliver the related stimulation.

Results

During the baseline sessions (without the support of the voice recording devices), the participants failed to access any stimulation. During the intervention and post-intervention phases (with the support of the voice recording devices), all participants managed to access the types of stimulation available independently. The mean frequency of responses (i.e. activations of both voice recording devices) per session ranged between about 8 and 14.

Conclusion

The new smartphone-based program can be viewed as a useful resource to enable individuals like the participants of this study to access preferred stimulation independently.

中文翻译：

---

智障和多重残疾的人通过非语言反应激活智能手机的谷歌助手以访问首选刺激

目标

本研究评估了一项新的基于智能手机的计划，以帮助 12 名智力障碍和视觉和运动障碍的参与者通过简单的非语言反应自我调节他们的刺激输入（从而避免他们对工作人员的依赖）。

方法

跨参与者的非并发多基线设计用于评估该计划的效果。该计划使用的技术包括一台配备 Android 9.0 操作系统的三星 J4 Plus 智能手机、两个录音设备、智能插头和一个迷你扬声器。智能手机配备了谷歌账户和互联网连接，允许参与者访问谷歌助手和谷歌播放音乐。参与者可以通过手压激活两个录音设备来请求两种不同类型的刺激（例如歌曲和熟悉的声音或噪音）。设备发出的口头请求消息被谷歌助手识别，从而引导智能手机传递相关的刺激。

结果

在基线会话期间（没有录音设备的支持），参与者无法获得任何刺激。在干预和干预后阶段（在录音设备的支持下），所有参与者都设法独立获得可用的刺激类型。每个会话的平均响应频率（即激活两个录音设备）在大约 8 到 14 之间。

结论

新的基于智能手机的程序可以被视为一种有用的资源，使像本研究参与者这样的个人能够独立地获得偏好的刺激。