What is it about?
Controlling a computer through eye gaze can enable young children who have multiple disabilities to communicate, create art and music, and even to manage their environments. Most parents of school aged children who use eye gaze technology believe that their children value the technology and that the technology increases their children's abilities to communicate with many different people and to make friends. Eye gaze technology has the potential to meet many needs beyond communication, such as participating in leisure activities and using smart home technology. However, few of the children seem to be using the technology for multiple purposes.
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Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Eye gaze technology offers the potential for independence to children who have multiple disabilities that impede their abilities to move, speak and play.
Perspectives
I was pleased to learn that the majority of parents feel that eye gaze technology has made a very important impact on the lives of their children by increasing their communication abilities and even their ability to make friends. This technology is definitely worth investigating for children with multiple disabilities. And it seems that the technology has much more to offer the children in the areas of recreation and environmental control, which could further develop the children's enjoyment of life.
Sandra Masayko
Easterseals Southeastern Pennsylvania
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Parents' Perceptions of Eye-Gaze Technology Use by Children With Complex Communication Needs, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, February 2024, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2023_ajslp-23-00100.
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