Assisting two children with multiple disabilities and minimal motor skills control environmental stimuli with thumb poke through a trackball.

BACKGROUND

Microswitches are the most commonly used input device for people with multiple disabilities to control environmental stimulation. However, little is known about adopting the commercial trackball with a revised trackball driver as a more feasible input device.

AIMS: To assess whether two children with profound multiple disabilities and minimal motor skills would be able to control environmental stimulation using thumb poke ability through cordless trackballs installed with a newly developed mouse driver (i.e. a new mouse driver replacing a standard mouse driver, turning a trackball mouse into a precise thumb poke detector).

METHOD: An ABAB design and a 2-month post-intervention check were adopted to perform the study.

RESULTS

Data showed that the two children improved significantly in their target response (thumb poke) to activate the control system to produce environmental stimuli during the B (intervention) phases. This performance was maintained at the post-intervention check.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of thumb poke in connection with a trackball allowed the children with multiple disabilities and minimal motor skills to increase their level of response and stimulation control.