Supawadee Putthinoi

Model of Providing Assistive Technologies in Special Education Schools.

Most students diagnosed with disabilities in Thai special education schools received assistive technologies, but this did not guarantee the greatest benefits. The purpose of this study was to survey the provision, use and needs of assistive technologies, as well as the perspectives of key informants regarding a model of providing them in special education schools. The participants were selected by the purposive sampling method, and they comprised 120 students with visual, physical, hearing or intellectual disabilities from four special education schools in Chiang Mai, Thailand; and 24 key informants such as parents or caregivers, teachers, school principals and school therapists. The instruments consisted of an assistive technology checklist and a semi-structured interview. Results showed that a category of assistive technologies was provided for students with disabilities, with the highest being “services”, followed by “media” and then “facilities”. Furthermore, mostly students with physical disabilities were provided with assistive technologies, but those with visual disabilities needed it more. Finally, the model of providing assistive technologies was composed of 5 components: Collaboration; Holistic perspective; Independent management of schools; Learning systems and a production manual for users; and Development of an assistive technology center, driven by 3 major sources such as Government and Private organizations, and Schools.

Home Features and Assistive Technology for the Home-Bound Elderly in a Thai Suburban Community by Applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health

The ageing population is having an impact worldwide and has created a serious challenge in Thailands healthcare systems, whereby healthcare practitioners play a major role in promoting independent interaction of their clients abilities, as well as environmental factors. The purpose of this study was to survey features of the home and assistive technology (AT) for the home-bound elderly in the community of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Home evaluation included features inside and outside the home, and AT was based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) concept. Methods included observation and an interview that were used by the researcher for evaluation. The study found that every home had at least one hazardous home feature such as inappropriate width of the door, high door threshold, tall stair steps, no bedside rail, and inappropriate height of the toilet pan. AT was found in houses as general products and technology for personal use in daily living and for personal indoor and outdoor mobility as well as transportation. Therefore, home features and AT can afford the home-bound elderly independent living within the community. Perspective AT according to the ICF concept could provide a common language for ageing in place benefits.

Fine Motor Activities Program to Promote Fine Motor Skills in a Case Study of Down's Syndrome

Children with Downs syndrome have developmental delays, particularly regarding cognitive and motor development. Fine motor skill problems are related to motor development. They have impact on occupational performances in school-age children with Downs syndrome because they relate to participation in school activities, such as grasping, writing, and carrying out self-care duties. This study aimed to develop a fine motor activities program and to examine the efficiency of the program that promoted fine motor skills in a case study of Downs syndrome. The case study subject was an 8 -year-old male called Kai, who had Downs syndrome. He was a first grader in a regular school that provided classrooms for students with special needs. This study used the fine motor activities program with assessment tools, which included 3 subtests of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2) that applied to Upper-limb coordination, Fine motor precision and Manual dexterity; as well as the In-hand Manipulation Checklist, and Jamar Hand Dynamometer Grip Test. The fine motor activities program was implemented separately and consisted of 3 sessions of 45 activities per week for 5 weeks, with each session taking 45 minutes. The results showed obvious improvement of fine motor skills, including bilateral hand coordination, hand prehension, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, and hand muscle strength. This positive result was an example of a fine motor intervention program designed and developed for therapists and related service providers in choosing activities that enhance fine motor skills in children with Downs syndrome.

Correlation Between the Well-Being of Children and Caregivers

Results: The results indicated that 8 behavioral items (38.10%) of well-being were presented by the children, and 13 (61.90%) not, while 9 behavioral items (28.13%) of well-being were presented by the caregivers, and 23 (71.87%) not. The Pearson’s coefficient of correlation of well-being and personal well-being between the children and caregivers had a significant relationship (r = 0.423, p = 0.040 and r = 0.383, p = .022, respectively). However, it did not correlate significantly in terms of environmental well-being.

Information Management for the Assistive Technology Provision in Community: Perspectives of Local Policymakers and Health Service Providers

Background Assistive technology (AT) is a way to enhance the performance of daily activities in people with disabilities and help them live more independently. However, an important problem in providing AT lies in the effectiveness of information management. Local policymakers and health service providers have become aware of this problem and their perspectives are the key to solving it. Methods This study explored the types of AT provided for people with disabilities in the community and the perspectives on information management of local policymakers and health service providers. A survey checklist and semistructured in-depth interview were the instruments of this study. The key informants in this study included administrators, nurses, and physical therapists from four community areas in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Results The medical records showed that the types of AT provided were mostly second-hand (57.24%) and borrowed devices (57.73%). All of them were low-tech devices (crutch, cane, walker, wheelchair, and adaptive tricycle). In addition, the results indicated three perspective aspects related to information management: (1) problems in the database recording system, (2) different policies and processes of information management, and (3) improvement of the AT provision system. Conclusion The perspectives of local policymakers and health service providers indicated related problems, impacts of policies, and ways to improve the AT provision system by applying information technology.

Development of Health Informatics for Caring for Children in Occupational Therapy Service Communities

Health Informatics (HI) is an integration of health information and technology to be improving levels of efficiency in Occupational Therapy (OT) care managers in the community. The purpose of this study was to develop HI in the community for care managers caring for children from birth to 6 years old. Fifteen participants were occupational therapists, who worked as care managers in the community. The research instrument was a questionnaire that comprised 22 items in 4 aspects including requirement, function, usability and security. The HI system in this study comprised 6 parts such as log in, data display and summary, history, assessment, intervention and follow-up. Efficiency of the HI system was at the good level from the perspective of users (4.30±0.58). When the efficacy of aspects was considered, the result found that usability was presented at the high level and had the highest mean, next to security, function and requirement, consecutively.