Assistive Technologies and Microswitches for Promoting Constructive Engagement by Children with Developmental Disabilities

Tive engage with the surrounding world, due to their pathologies and clinical conditions. In fact, they are frequently reported as quite passive, isolated, presenting medical complications, dystonic movements, stereotypic behaviours, seizures, breath difficulties. Accordingly, they dispose of a very poor and limited behavioural repertoire, with few and sporadic capacities and opportunities to positively interact with the environmental events. Their situation may seriously hamper their social desirability, image and status, with negative consequences on their quality of life [1, 2]. Traditional rehabilitative programs within medical centres focused on sensorial stimulation and snoezelen rooms, providing them with positive (i.e. pleasant) environmental stimuli, aimed at enhancing their alert and vigilance, with positive consequences on their mood [3, 4]. The aforementioned interventions, however, do not improve participants' active role, relying them on caregivers and parents' assistance