Rosana Carla do Nascimento Givigi

Validation of the neurofunctional evaluation protocol for Alternative and Augmentative Communication

Mailing address: Cidade Universitária Prof. José Aloísio de Campos Departamento de Fonoaudiologia Edênia Menezes Av. Marechal Rondon, s/n Jardim Rosa Elze CEP: 49100-000 São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brasil E-mail: edeniamenezes@gmail.com ABSTRACT Objective: to validate the neurofunctional evaluation for Alternative and Augmented Communication protocol. Methods: the study was carried out in four steps: instrument construction, literature review, clinical validation and evaluation of the protocol by field experts, through an interactive questionnaire which was repeatedly applied, until the last set of responses was regarded as satisfactory. In addition, clinical evaluations were performed by applying the protocol in children and adolescents with motor impairment in a clinical trial. Results: statistical analysis of the protocol application in the therapeutic setting showed the Kappa indices for each observer with an overall mean of 0.436 (moderate agreement), besides the agreement among experts in content evaluation. Conclusion: agreement between the evaluators, specialists and the protocol clinical application results allowed choosing and implementing an alternative communication resource appropriate to the neuromuscular characteristics of the patient, providing a low cost access, as well as the quick identification of the motor skills that enabled the speech-language therapy.

Geração Automática de Sentenças em Língua Natural para Sequências de Pictogramas como Apoio à Comunicação Alternativa e Ampliada

A Comunicacao Alternativa e Ampliada (CAA) e uma area de pratica clinica educacional para fonoaudiologos cujo objetivo e auxiliar individuos que possuam deficiencia na oralidade. Os simbolos de comunicacao pictorica constituem um dos sistemas da CAA que podem complementar ou mesmo substituir a linguagem falada desses individuos. E possivel utilizar a habilidade ja adquirida em comunicacao pictorica por parte de criancas com deficiencia para promover sua alfabetizacao. Infelizmente, a literatura relacionada parece nao indicar solucao pratica para tal questao. Neste artigo, propomos um metodo para geracao automatica de sentencas naturais em lingua portuguesa do Brasil que corresponda a uma dada sequencia de simbolos pictoricos apresentados. Este metodo foi implementado em uma ferramenta visual de apoio ao profissional educador e atualmente faz parte de um dos recursos de CAA do Laboratorio de CAA da Universidade Federal de Sergipe. Um conjunto de validacao fornecido pelo Laboratorio mostrou a corretude das sentencas geradas pela ferramenta.

O trabalho colaborativo na escola: o uso da tecnologia assistiva

This research discusses the process of education of people with disabilities from actions and interventions in school by the collaborative work. This study aimed to describe backed actions in Special Education Policy on Inclusive Perspective and how those boosted the educational process of disabled individuals. On this way, was used the methodology of the research action under critical-collaborative perspective. Five public regular schools were participants on this research, and those had enrolled subjects with disabilities. Thus, it showed the need to redirect existing practices and seek new grants that enable design a truly inclusive school. The results highlight the access to more inclusive curriculum by adapting various teaching resources through the implementation of Assistive Technology.

Computational system for alternative and augmented communication for people with cerebral palsy

Computational efforts for Alternative and Augmented Communication (AAC) must deal with two important issues, that slow down their spread: (1) the need for specific hardware and software in order to engage each different disability and (2) the different communication languages. This paper presents the PickNClick, a hardware/software apparatus that allows for ample AAC in Brazil. The PickNClick consists of a word and sentence prediction tool for Portuguese language to help people with cerebral palsy, in particular, spastic quadriplegic children. Experiments conducted presented good values concerning KSR metric and showed the software applicability cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegic volunteer.