Post-coma persons emerged from a minimally conscious state and showing multiple disabilities learn to manage a radio-listening activity.

This study assessed microswitch-based technology to enable three post-coma adults, who had emerged from a minimally conscious state but presented motor and communication disabilities, to operate a radio device. The material involved a modified radio device, a microprocessor-based electronic control unit, a personal microswitch, and an amplified MP3 player. The study was carried out according to a non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants. During the intervention, all three participants learned to operate the radio device, changing stations and tuning on some of them longer amounts of time than on others (i.e., suggesting preferences among the topics covered by those stations). They also ended a number of sessions before the maximum length of time allowed for them had elapsed. The practical (rehabilitation) implications of the findings were discussed.

Post-coma persons with extensive multiple disabilities use microswitch technology to access selected stimulus events or operate a radio device.

The present two studies extended research evidence on the use of microswitch technology by post-coma persons with multiple disabilities. Specifically, Study I examined whether three adults with a diagnosis of minimally conscious state and multiple disabilities could use microswitches as tools to access brief, selected stimulus events. Study II assessed whether an adult, who had emerged from a minimally conscious state but was affected by multiple disabilities, could manage the use of a radio device via a microswitch-aided program. Results showed that the participants of Study I had a significant increase of microswitch responding during the intervention phases. The participant of Study II learned to change radio stations and seemed to spend different amounts of session time on the different stations available (suggesting preferences among the programs characterizing them). The importance of microswitch technology for assisting post-coma persons with multiple disabilities to positively engage with their environment was discussed.