People with advanced Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis manage basic forms of functional occupation with the support of simple technology

People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) experience a rapid deterioration of their condition, which leads them to the inability to move, interact with the surrounding world, and communicate. Given the devastating consequences of the disease and the lack of medical resources to halt its progression, technology solutions have been developed to alleviate the impact of those consequences. This study extended the work on technology solutions by assessing a simple system designed to allow three people in an advanced stage of the disease to access preferred music, videos, or a YouTube channel, and to make video calls or send WhatsApp messages. The system included a tablet that presented the aforementioned options and a proximity sensor that the participants could activate by a minimal finger or hand movement to access those options. The study was carried out following single-case research methodology. During the baseline phase, the participants were unable to access any of the options by using a conventional tablet. During the intervention with the system, all three participants succeeded in accessing the options and showed particular interest for music, videos, and the YouTube channel. Based on the results, the new system appears a viable tool for supporting people with advanced ALS.