Assistive Technology and school inclusion: a case study of Occupational Therapy in the implementation of gaze control with a child with Leigh Syndrome

Abstract

Assistive Technologies (AT) play a key role in the adaptation of the individual with disability to the environment, compensating or replacing functions that are deficient or non-existent, facilitating or enabling significant activities and, consequently, school, and social inclusion. The research describes the process of using AT, in the scope of the Occupational Therapy intervention in a school context, with a child with Leigh Syndrome. It is a single case study, exploratory-descriptive, in which it is investigated how AT influence the process of teaching-learning and communication of children with Specific Needs. The implementation of the study took place in three phases: i) evaluation with diversified methods to characterize the participant and to select the LDs; ii) implementation of AT with adapted activities and curricular evaluations; and iii) re-evaluation of the student and obtaining data by interview to those who have closer contact with the child. The evaluation data were analysed, and the content of the interviews was analysed through the webQDA software. The implementation of AT in the teaching-learning process allowed the pupil to carry out the curricular assessments without the help of a third party. AT reduced the gap between the potential and the achievement of activities by the student, with a noticeable increase in his/her participation and performance in the teaching-learning process.