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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Enhancing daily living skills in four adults with autism spectrum disorder through an embodied digital technology-mediated intervention

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Abstract Background The acquisition of daily living skills is fundamental in the education of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), especially of those with Intellectual Disability (ID), because this can significantly contribute to their autonomy, self-confidence and overall life satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an embodied Digital Technology (DT)-mediated intervention, compared to a Treatment-As-Usual (TAU) intervention, for enhancing two daily living skills: washing dishes and doing laundry. Method Four males of between 25 and 37 years old with ASD and ID participated in the study. The two interventions were based on audio and picture prompting instructional techniques aimed at helping participants to off-load cognitive work onto the environment. The DT-mediated intervention consisted of the use of a tablet connected to a lighting system. The TAU intervention consisted of the use of paper-based pictures and task strips. A reversal single-subject experimental design across participants was conducted in a day centre. Results Data showed that the DT-mediated intervention was more effective than the TAU intervention in reducing the number of educator prompts given to three of the four participants, and for diminishing the number of off-task behaviours showed by all participants during the performance of the activities. Conclusions A novel DT-mediated intervention effectively enhanced participants’ daily living skills. The major novel contribution of this work is to show that the use of a handheld device connected to a lighting system can be an effective method for the interaction and embodiment of people with ASD and ID in a real-world setting.