Automatically delivered stimulation for walker-assisted step responses: Measuring its effects in persons with multiple disabilities

The present two studies evaluated the effects of automatically delivered stimulation for walker-assisted step responses with four persons with multiple disabilities. In Study I, the participants (two children) wore two optic sensors at their heels, which were activated by the performance of steps. Each sensor activation produced a 2.5-s stimulation during the intervention and post-intervention periods. In Study II, the participants (two adults) wore a single optic sensor at their right leg. Sensor activation produced 5 or 6 s of stimulation during the intervention phases. Data were satisfactory with both technical arrangements (i.e., with one or two sensors); all four participants had significant increases in step responses and indices of happiness during the intervention phases. The two children of Study I retained these effects at a 1-month post-intervention check programmed for them. The effects of the stimulation procedure on aberrant behavior (assessed only in Study I) were mixed. These data support and extend previous findings in the area and suggest that the reported approach could be quite useful for application in daily contexts. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007.