title: Technology-aided programs for post-coma patients emerged from or in a minimally conscious state.
abstract: Post-coma persons in a minimally conscious state (MCS) or emerged/emerging from such state (E-MCS), who are affected by extensive motor impairment and lack of speech, may develop an active role and interact with their environment with the help of technology-aided intervention programs. Although a number of studies have been conducted in this area during the last few years, new evidence about the efficacy of those programs is warranted. These three studies were an effort in that direction. Study I assessed a technology-aided program to enable six MCS participants to access preferred environmental stimulation independently. Studies II and III assessed technology-aided programs to enable six E-MCS participants to make choices. In Study II, three of those participants were led to choose among leisure and social stimuli, and caregiver interventions automatically presented to them. In Study III, the remaining three participants were led to choose (a) among general stimulus/intervention options (e.g., songs, video-recordings of family members, and caregiver interventions); and then (b) among variants of those options. The results of all three studies were largely positive with substantial increases of independent stimulation access for the participants of Study I and independent choice behavior for the participants of Studies II and III. The results were analyzed in relation to previous data and in terms of their implications for daily contexts working with MCS and E-MCS persons affected by multiple disabilities.
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: Department of Special Education, University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Mark F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: O'Reilly
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sigafoos
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olivetti Belardinelli
authors.affiliation: S. Raffaele Rehabilitation and Care Centers Ceglie and Alberobello, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buonocunto
authors.affiliation: S. Raffaele Rehabilitation and Care Centers Ceglie and Alberobello, Italy.
authors.forename: Fiora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Amico
authors.affiliation: S. Raffaele Rehabilitation and Care Centers Ceglie and Alberobello, Italy.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.affiliation: S. Raffaele Rehabilitation and Care Centers Ceglie and Alberobello, Italy.
authors.forename: Crocifissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lanzilotti
authors.affiliation: Lega F. D'Oro Research Center Osimo, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferlisi
authors.affiliation: ISPE Medical Care Center Mola di Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Floriana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Denitto
keywords: choice; emergence from MCS; leisure stimuli; minimally conscious state (MCS); news; social stimuli; technology-aided programs