Final Report Summary - ASSISTID (Assistive Technologies in Autism and Intellectual Disability)
The Assistive Technologies in Autism and Intellectual Disability (ASSISTID) COFUND Training & Mobility Programme has provided (a) Incoming fellowships of 24 months for 16 fellows and
(b) Outgoing fellowships with return phase (24+12 months) for 9 fellows in the field of assistive technologies and behavioural sciences applied to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). ASSISTID (www.assistid.eu) is unique as it is currently the only COFUND project with a charity (RESPECT) as the sole beneficiary. The ASSISTID Programme was managed by the DOCTRID Research institute (www.doctrid.ie) an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral consortium of universities and disability services providers dedicated to conducting evidence -based research to inform policy and practice to improve the quality of life for individuals living with ID and/or ASD.
There are more than 5 million people living with Intellectual Disability in Europe. Up to 40% of people living with Autism Spectrum Disorder have an Intellectual Disability. The DOCTRID Research Institute works on the principle that society needs research and training to enhance community participation, education, employment, social inclusion and independent living for people with ID/ASD.
The aim of the COFUND was to...
• Establish ASSISTID as the first multi-disciplinary, inter-sectorial research and training programme focusing on evidence based research into technology for ID and/or ASD.
• Train postdoctoral researchers to become leaders in academia, industry or disability services with particular skills in assistive technology.
• Ensure researchers acquired a deep understanding of the nature of intellectual disability and autism and how the needs of individuals influence the successful uptake of assistive technology.
• Develop new technology, assess or adapt existing technology, develop new assessment tools and guidelines.
• Understand the practical, societal and environmental factors which can act as facilitators or barriers to the uptake of technology by people with ID or autism.
• Disseminate research findings and produce a body of evidence to inform disability policy and practice.
• Raise awareness of the potential of technology as a tool to support independent living and enable choice
The selected ASSISTID researchers were a multidisciplinary group of psychologists, speech and language therapists, computer scientists, architects, entrepreneurs and engineers who used their skills to change practice and perceptions around assistive technology for people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. Fellows were selected on the basis of excellence of their own projects (bottom up approach) which were coherent with available expertise and the general programme thematic of their chosen host institution. The Fellowship training programmes covered a wide array of disciplines including, but not limited to: Applied Behaviour Analysis and Autism, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, assistive technologies and innovative learning, intellectual disability research ethics and rehabilitation, Intellectual disability policy and law, Multimedia development, Rehabilitation and counselling in employment for intellectual disability.
One of the guiding principles of the research being carried out by the Fellows was the inclusion of the Service Users, Service staff and families in the research. This engagement has proved beneficial to both the researchers and the population on whose behalf they were working. This will ensure that the programmes, processes and tools that have been designed are a good fit. This will have a further benefit of reducing the high rate of abandonment of assistive technology by people living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or Intellectual Disability (ID).
ASSISTID COFUND which was managed by the beneficiary RESPECT offered research and training from a collaborative, international research institute (DOCTRID) set up within RESPECT, encompassing all 7 of the Irish Universities (Dublin City University (DCU), National University of Ireland Maynooth (NUIM), National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University College Dublin (UCD), University College Cork (UCC) and the University of Limerick (UL)), the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the Northern Ireland Universities (Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University (UU), Michigan State University, University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Intellectual Disability Services of the Daughters of Charity, and other Services providing care and education to people with autism or intellectual disability as appropriate to the ASSISTID COFUND objectives. Fellows were able to choose to undertake research visits and secondments to other partners in academia or in the private sector, or to the Daughters of Charity Disability Support Services with a length of maximum 6 months within 24.
(b) Outgoing fellowships with return phase (24+12 months) for 9 fellows in the field of assistive technologies and behavioural sciences applied to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). ASSISTID (www.assistid.eu) is unique as it is currently the only COFUND project with a charity (RESPECT) as the sole beneficiary. The ASSISTID Programme was managed by the DOCTRID Research institute (www.doctrid.ie) an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral consortium of universities and disability services providers dedicated to conducting evidence -based research to inform policy and practice to improve the quality of life for individuals living with ID and/or ASD.
There are more than 5 million people living with Intellectual Disability in Europe. Up to 40% of people living with Autism Spectrum Disorder have an Intellectual Disability. The DOCTRID Research Institute works on the principle that society needs research and training to enhance community participation, education, employment, social inclusion and independent living for people with ID/ASD.
The aim of the COFUND was to...
• Establish ASSISTID as the first multi-disciplinary, inter-sectorial research and training programme focusing on evidence based research into technology for ID and/or ASD.
• Train postdoctoral researchers to become leaders in academia, industry or disability services with particular skills in assistive technology.
• Ensure researchers acquired a deep understanding of the nature of intellectual disability and autism and how the needs of individuals influence the successful uptake of assistive technology.
• Develop new technology, assess or adapt existing technology, develop new assessment tools and guidelines.
• Understand the practical, societal and environmental factors which can act as facilitators or barriers to the uptake of technology by people with ID or autism.
• Disseminate research findings and produce a body of evidence to inform disability policy and practice.
• Raise awareness of the potential of technology as a tool to support independent living and enable choice
The selected ASSISTID researchers were a multidisciplinary group of psychologists, speech and language therapists, computer scientists, architects, entrepreneurs and engineers who used their skills to change practice and perceptions around assistive technology for people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. Fellows were selected on the basis of excellence of their own projects (bottom up approach) which were coherent with available expertise and the general programme thematic of their chosen host institution. The Fellowship training programmes covered a wide array of disciplines including, but not limited to: Applied Behaviour Analysis and Autism, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, assistive technologies and innovative learning, intellectual disability research ethics and rehabilitation, Intellectual disability policy and law, Multimedia development, Rehabilitation and counselling in employment for intellectual disability.
One of the guiding principles of the research being carried out by the Fellows was the inclusion of the Service Users, Service staff and families in the research. This engagement has proved beneficial to both the researchers and the population on whose behalf they were working. This will ensure that the programmes, processes and tools that have been designed are a good fit. This will have a further benefit of reducing the high rate of abandonment of assistive technology by people living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or Intellectual Disability (ID).
ASSISTID COFUND which was managed by the beneficiary RESPECT offered research and training from a collaborative, international research institute (DOCTRID) set up within RESPECT, encompassing all 7 of the Irish Universities (Dublin City University (DCU), National University of Ireland Maynooth (NUIM), National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University College Dublin (UCD), University College Cork (UCC) and the University of Limerick (UL)), the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the Northern Ireland Universities (Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University (UU), Michigan State University, University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Intellectual Disability Services of the Daughters of Charity, and other Services providing care and education to people with autism or intellectual disability as appropriate to the ASSISTID COFUND objectives. Fellows were able to choose to undertake research visits and secondments to other partners in academia or in the private sector, or to the Daughters of Charity Disability Support Services with a length of maximum 6 months within 24.