Reducing the need for personal supports among workers with autism using an iPod Touch as an assistive technology: delayed randomized control trial.
Giving workers with autism an iPod Touch on their first day cuts paid job-coach hours by about one-third while keeping work quality steady.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Gentry et al. (2015) gave new workers with autism an iPod Touch loaded with task lists, reminders, and how-to videos. Half got the device on day one. The other half waited several weeks. Researchers tracked how many hours a job coach had to stand beside each worker.
The study took place in real community jobs, not a sheltered workshop. Workers stocked shelves, assembled parts, and cleaned offices.
What they found
Workers who received the iPod Touch right away needed about one-third fewer coach hours. Work quality stayed the same. The delayed group caught up once they also got the device.
In short, the iPod acted like a pocket job coach, cutting paid support without hurting performance.
How this fits with other research
Bigby et al. (2009) and Spanoudis et al. (2011) showed PDAs help students with autism finish tasks and move between them. Tony’s team moved the same idea into adult workplaces and proved it saves money.
Van Laarhoven et al. (2018) later let teens choose between an iPad or HP Slate and allowed them to fade prompts themselves. Both devices worked, showing the principle extends beyond the iPod Touch.
Farrant et al. (1998) used simple audio prompts to help workers with intellectual disability switch tasks. Tony’s study updates that approach with video and pictures on a consumer device.
Why it matters
If you support adults with autism in competitive jobs, hand them an iPod or iPhone with task cues on day one. You can safely trim paraprofessional hours without risking the paycheck. Start by loading one short video model for the hardest part of the shift and let the worker decide when to press play.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are versatile task organizers that hold promise as assistive technologies for people with cognitive-behavioral challenges. This delayed randomized controlled trial compared two groups of adult workers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to determine whether the use of an Apple iPod Touch PDA as a vocational support improves work performance and reduces personal support needs on the job. Baseline data were collected on 50 adults with ASD who were beginning a vocational placement supported by a job coach. Participants were randomized to receive training in the use of a PDA as a vocational aid upon starting their job or after working 12 weeks without PDA support. Workers who received PDA training at the beginning of their job placement required significantly less hours of job coaching support (p = 0.013) during their first 12 weeks on the job than those who had not yet received the intervention. Functional performance between the two groups was not significantly different. The significant difference in hours of job coaching support persisted during the subsequent 12 weeks, in which both groups used a PDA (p = 0.017).
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2015 · doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2221-8