2011 Volume 48 Issue 5 Pages 371-382
The present study aimed to facilitate the expression of intentions in a 22-year-old male with severe and multiple disabilities by an educational intervention based on the hypothesis that improvement in the operation of switches and a concomitant increase in the expression of subjective intentions would promote interactions with others. Switches and computerized teaching materials were developed for the participant. During training sessions, the participant's upper limb movements, which had been very small at first, became switch-oriented and more stable. After that, in tasks that required his self-determination, he came to express his intentions clearly and more frequently. His interactions with the researchers were initially passive, and at first he rarely expressed any intention voluntarily. However, after he acquired stable switch operation and a way to express his intentions, his initiation of interactions increased. These results suggest that the educational intervention used might have been important for facilitating his expression of his intentions.
