title: Post-coma persons with multiple disabilities use assistive technology for their leisure engagement and communication.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Interventions for post-coma persons, who have emerged from a minimally conscious state but present with extensive neuro-motor impairment and lack of or minimal verbal skills, need to promote occupation and communication through the use of assistive technology.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  These two studies were aimed at assessing two technology-aided programs to promote leisure engagement and communication for three post-coma participants with multiple disabilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study I assessed a program to allow a woman and a man with extensive neuro-motor impairment and lack of speech to switch on music and videos, make requests to caregivers, and send messages to (communicate with) relevant partners and receive messages from those partners. Study II assessed a program to allow a post-coma woman with extensive motor impairment and reduced verbal behavior to activate music, videos and requests, send and receive messages, and make telephone calls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data showed that both programs were successful. The participants of Study I managed leisure engagement, requests, as well as text messaging. The participant of Study II showed consistent leisure engagement, text messaging, and telephone calls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assistive technology can be profitably used to provide post-coma persons with multiple disabilities relevant leisure and communication opportunities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulio E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Lancioni
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Nirbhay N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Mark F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: O'Reilly
authors.affiliation: Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sigafoos
authors.affiliation: Lega F. D'Oro Research Center, Osimo, Italy.
authors.forename: Doretta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oliva
authors.affiliation: S. Raffaele Rehabilitation Center, Ceglie Messapica, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buonocunto
authors.affiliation: S. Raffaele Rehabilitation Center, Ceglie Messapica, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.affiliation: S. Raffaele Medical Care Center, Alberobello, Italy.
authors.forename: Fiora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Amico
authors.affiliation: S. Raffaele Rehabilitation Center, Ceglie Messapica, Italy.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.affiliation: S. Raffaele Rehabilitation Center, Ceglie Messapica, Italy.
authors.forename: Crocifissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lanzilotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Tommaso
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Megna
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers; D003128:Coma; D003142:Communication; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000150:complications*; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D013060:Speech; D060145:Text Messaging; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D018910:Video Games
keywords: Leisure engagement; assistive technology; communication; multiple disabilities; post-coma persons with consciousness