We have released an evidence snapshot looking at effectiveness of assistive technology interventions to support children.
- Assistive technology interventions to support children: An evidence snapshot (DOCX 733KB)
- Assistive technology interventions to support children: An evidence snapshot (PDF 506KB)
This snapshot focuses on supporting children younger than 9 years old with assistive technology, who have:
- physical or intellectual disability or developmental delay
- goals focused on communication, mobility, and participation.
Assistive technology can be any equipment, device, product or software that:
- helps children to do things more easily and safely
- allows them to explore their environment, build independence and enhance socialisation
- improves the quality of life for children, their families and carers.
We undertook a systematic search of published literature databases to identify systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses, scoping reviews or evidence-based guidelines.
The systematic search identified 34 reviews to include in the evidence snapshot.
- Fourteen reviews looked at the effectiveness of assistive technology for communication and language.
- Fifteen reviews included assistive technology to assist movement and improve overall mobility.
- Five reviews explored supports for comfort and independence at home.
This snapshot talks about:
- the importance of early assistive technology intervention
- the effectiveness of assistive technology for:
- communication and language
- mobility
- at home and in the community
- the limits of available research and identifies areas for future research.
This evidence snapshot has informed the development of our guides for supporting your child with assistive technology .