etadd_46(4) - Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities
etadd_46(4) - Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities
etadd_46(4) - Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities
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access pictures, video, text, <strong>and</strong> audio all <strong>on</strong><br />
<strong>on</strong>e screen. In each of the three studies the<br />
PDA was used for prompting step-by-step completi<strong>on</strong><br />
of multi-step functi<strong>on</strong>al skills. Students<br />
could look at a picture to receive informati<strong>on</strong>,<br />
repeatedly touch a picture <strong>on</strong> the<br />
screen <strong>and</strong> hear a voice recording, touch a<br />
video ic<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> play a video recording, or advance<br />
the program to subsequent screens<br />
(task steps). Using these multiple prompting<br />
features students could choose <strong>and</strong> self-adjust<br />
the level of prompting delivered by the device<br />
for each step of the task. Unlike the studies<br />
previously reviewed in this secti<strong>on</strong>, no external<br />
adult prompting (i.e., least-to-most<br />
prompting system) was provided for task completi<strong>on</strong><br />
although the instructors did provide<br />
prompts for use of the device.<br />
The first study evaluated the effects of multiple<br />
prompt levels <strong>on</strong> the independent preparati<strong>on</strong><br />
of recipes by three high school age<br />
students with moderate intellectual disabilities<br />
(Mechling, Gast, & Seid, 2010). Immediate<br />
<strong>and</strong> abrupt increases in the percentage of<br />
steps completed independently were dem<strong>on</strong>strated<br />
by each of the participants following<br />
introducti<strong>on</strong> of the PDA system <strong>and</strong> performance<br />
was maintained over time. Results also<br />
indicated that participants initially used more<br />
intrusive levels of prompts <strong>and</strong> self-faded<br />
these levels of prompts (i.e., video to photos)<br />
<strong>and</strong> later reinstated use of more intrusive<br />
prompt levels, as needed, during maintenance<br />
sessi<strong>on</strong>s.<br />
In resp<strong>on</strong>se to the Mechling et al. (2010)<br />
study, a sec<strong>on</strong>d study was implemented in order<br />
to evaluate the effects of the PDA procedure<br />
<strong>on</strong> the same food preparati<strong>on</strong> tasks, but<br />
with three high school age students with ASD<br />
(Mechling, Gast, & Seid, 2009). Results replicated<br />
those of the previous study in support of<br />
a PDA with video, pictures, <strong>and</strong> auditory<br />
prompts as a self-prompting device to assist<br />
students with ASD to perform multi-step tasks.<br />
Differences did exist between the two studies<br />
in regards to the levels of prompts used by<br />
students with ASD. Although they also selfadjusted<br />
the use of prompt levels, overall their<br />
tendency was to c<strong>on</strong>tinue to rely <strong>on</strong> prompts<br />
from the PDA within <strong>and</strong> across recipes even<br />
though they were able to complete the recipes<br />
independently when the PDA was removed.<br />
In a third study Mechling <strong>and</strong> Seid (2011)<br />
Figure 7. Cyrano Communicator TM. Kiba Technologies,<br />
LLC.<br />
evaluated the effectiveness of the PDA with<br />
multiple prompt levels to prompt independent<br />
pedestrian travel by three transiti<strong>on</strong> age<br />
students with moderate intellectual disabilities.<br />
Similar to a global positi<strong>on</strong>ing system<br />
(GPS), students who were unable to read<br />
maps or text used photographs <strong>and</strong> video recordings<br />
of l<strong>and</strong>marks al<strong>on</strong>g the routes to<br />
independently reach three different destinati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
<strong>on</strong> a college campus (Figure 7). Similar<br />
to the other studies using multiple prompt<br />
levels <strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong>e screen, the three students selfadjusted<br />
their use of prompt levels as they<br />
became more familiar with each route.<br />
Results of this review <strong>on</strong> the use of h<strong>and</strong>held<br />
computers with students with moderate<br />
ID <strong>and</strong> ASD dem<strong>on</strong>strate that these small portable<br />
systems provide some definite advantages<br />
for individuals, including portability. For<br />
Twenty-First Century Portable Electr<strong>on</strong>ic Devices / 493