Use of Digital Assistants as Assistive Technology for Students With Extensive Support Needs or Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Sophia is a high school student with an intellectual disability and moderate expressive language delays. She uses a picture schedule, a single switch yes/no device, and a tablet (Apple iPad) with an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app as her primary AAC system. Recently, Sophia’s speech therapist recognized that the AAC app on her device can support Apple accessibility features, such as Switch Control and VoiceOver, and can be programmed to prompt Siri, the iPad’s digital assistant (DA). To eliminate the need for her to manage two separate devices, Sophia learned how to use Siri alongside her AAC app. This allowed Sophia to issue voice commands when she chooses or when speech is difficult, to activate the DA by typing a prompt in her AAC app. Using the DA through her AAC app also enables her to switch seamlessly between composing messages and accessing task prompts, reducing cognitive load and the need to transition between devices. When her team determined that certain routines required more complex step-by-step prompting than her AAC’s existing tools could provide, they programmed specific scripts in the DA to supplement. This blended approach ensures that Sophia can rely on a single, familiar device while still accessing the adaptive prompting features needed to increase her independence.