For people with severe/profound and multiple disabilities, managing the basic necessities of daily life often poses myriad challenges. Despite great odds, advances in assistive technology are making a difference in these individuals' lives. Advances in microswitches, voice outcome communication aids, and computer-based systems are creating new opportunities for living independently, improving basic life skills, and reducing problem behaviors among individuals with combined motor, sensory, and intellectual disabilities.

This unique volume examines how education and rehabilitation can improve the lives of even those individuals most affected by severe/profound and multiple disabilities. Interventions currently in use and in experimental stages are surveyed in terms of how they work and their applicability to clients with various needs. In addition, it examines the characteristics of developmentally disabled populations and offers guidelines for choosing suitable technologies. It presents empirical evidence on the advances in improving interaction with caregivers, control of the home environment, handling self-care tasks, and other core skills.

"Assistive Technology" examines interventions that are innovative, respectful of the dignity of clients, and practical for ongoing use, including:

Microswitches in habilitation programs.
Speech-generating devices for communication and social development.
Instructional technology for promoting academic, work, and leisure skills.
Assistive technology for promoting ambulation.
Orientation systems for promoting movement indoors.
Assistive technology for reducing problem behaviors.

A state-of-the-art guide to a growing field, "Assistive Technology" is an invaluable resource for researchers, clinicians, graduate students as well as clinicians and allied professionals in developmental psychology, rehabilitation and rehabilitative medicine, learning and instruction, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and educational technology."

Many national professional organizations of speech-language pathologists have adopted evidence-based practice (EBP) as the preferred approach to clinical practice. This mandate brings with it an added responsibility for university programs because they need to prepare future generations of speech-language pathologists for these new demands. This special issue is the first in a peer-reviewed journal in the field that focuses on the teaching of EBP at the pre-professional level! That is, four university programs from three continents (Australia, Europe, and North America) showcase how they conceptualized and implemented their innovative approach to teaching EBP. Because many programs are in the midst of moving toward EBP, this is a must read for anyone who is teaching or learning in a university-based program in speech-language pathology. We believe that this issue will serve as a catalyst for increased scholarly discourse on this critical need.

Many national professional organizations of speech-language pathologists have adopted evidence-based practice (EBP) as the preferred approach to clinical practice. This mandate brings with it an added responsibility for university programs because they need to prepare future generations of speech-language pathologists for these new demands.

This special issue is the first in a peer-reviewed journal in the field that focuses on the teaching of EBP at the pre-professional level! That is, four university programs from three continents (Australia, Europe, and North America) showcase how they conceptualized and implemented their innovative approach to teaching EBP.

Because many programs are in the midst of moving toward EBP, this is a must read for anyone who is teaching or learning in a university-based program in speech-language pathology.

We believe that this issue will serve as a catalyst for increased scholarly discourse on this critical need.

For people with severe/profound and multiple disabilities, managing the basic necessities of daily life often poses myriad challenges. Despite great odds, advances in assistive technology are making a difference in these individuals' lives. Advances in microswitches, voice outcome communication aids, and computer-based systems are creating new opportunities for living independently, improving basic life skills, and reducing problem behaviors among individuals with combined motor, sensory, and intellectual disabilities. This unique volume examines how education and rehabilitation can improve the lives of even those individuals most affected by severe/profound and multiple disabilities. Interventions currently in use and in experimental stages are surveyed in terms of how they work and their applicability to clients with various needs. In addition, it examines the characteristics of developmentally disabled populations and offers guidelines for choosing suitable technologies. It presents empirical evidence on the advances in improving interaction with caregivers, control of the home environment, handling self-care tasks, and other core skills. Assistive Technology examines interventions that are innovative, respectful of the dignity of clients, and practical for ongoing use, including: * Microswitches in habilitation programs. * Speech-generating devices for communication and social development. * Instructional technology for promoting academic, work, and leisure skills. * Assistive technology for promoting ambulation. * Orientation systems for promoting movement indoors. * Assistive technology for reducing problem behaviors. A state-of-the-art guide to a growing field, Assistive Technology is an invaluable resource for researchers, clinicians, graduate students as well as clinicians and allied professionals in developmental psychology, rehabilitation and rehabilitative medicine, learning and instruction, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and educational technology.

This book aims to describe the application of technology for addressing a range of education issues across a range of ages and educational settings. Each chapter reviews how a particular technology or approach to the use of technology has been applied for one or more teaching and learning purposes. The use of technology is considered across a range of educational settings, including school-based and adult/vocational learning. There are also chapters on the use of technology in educational programs for individuals with special educational needs.