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A NINE MILLION euro research programme in Autism and Intellectual Disability was launched in Dublin today.
This research project is the first of its kind in Europe.
It will promote research into the development and application of assistive technologies to enhance the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities and autism, their carers and families.
EU Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn launched the Irish-led EU research programme.
The research is co-funded by the EU Marie Curie ASSISTID Cofund and the Irish charity RESPECT.
Assistive Technologies
Assistive Technologies refers to practical tools that can support the functional needs of people who experience difficulties associated with disability or ageing.
For people with autism or intellectual disabilities, assistive technologies can transform their lives and allow them to complete everyday tasks which could otherwise be impossible.
The National Disability Authority Ireland (NDA) report from 2012 stated that:
Assistive Technologies is centrally important for disability policy as it is one of the more concrete ways that the barriers to participation in society can be overcome for people with disabilities.
Research
Speaking at the launch today, Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn remarked that, “ASSISTID is a unique partnership of Irish and USA universities and the disability services which will support research and technologies to improve the quality of life of people with autism and intellectual disabilities”.
Professor Brian Harvey, RCSI, who will lead the research on behalf of the DOCTRID Research Institute, said:
This research programme can be readily described as groundbreaking.
“We now have an opportunity to pool the resources of Irish universities, with academics from the US in the very best interests of people with autism and other disabilities and we are in a position to do this with the assistance of EU and Irish funding and the support of the Daughters of Charity Services.
This is a significant team effort which I have no doubt will reap dividends for people with disability all around the world.
Professor Harvey continued, “The €9 million ASSISTID EU programme brings scientists, engineers and health care professionals together with carers and families to develop technology solutions to enable people with disabilities to communicate, learn, work, play, and function more easily in the world”.
Funding
The ASSISTID programme which will fund 40 post-doctoral fellows is co-funded by the European Commission and the charity RESPECT.
It is coordinated by the DOCTRID Research Institute which includes the Daughters of Charity Disability Support Services, all of the universities of Ireland, RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland), Dublin and Tralee Institute of Technology and the US universities Michigan State University and the University of Massachusetts.
This is the first time that all of the universities of Ireland have joined together in an EU funded research consortium.
Excellent news! I can’t tell you the difference an iPad has made to my son. He have a severe intellectual disability and was not really considered to be able to do much. The world has opened up for him and it’s amazing to see what he is actually capable of . Though I wouldn’t mind less YouTube. At 2am school nights truth be told lol still am not complaining . Great to see teenagers are teenagers no matter what
Very good Catherine and it must be diificult to learn the coping skills from the beginning.
That’s a good news story
Finally, a positive news story that isn’t propaganda. I wish them all the best and will be happy to donate a few bob if I get the chance. Now back to begrudgingly and cursing the country
I have two children with autism so this is fantastic news to hear!! :)
This is an excellent announcement! We have lots of anecdotal evidence of the benefits of Assistive Technology, and of course there are some studies supporting provision too. Hopefully a study of size and scope will support allocation and ring fencing of funding for such technology and associated software.
Flouride in our water is whats causing autism along with other health issues.
This blog is based on a methodologically flawed study. “To implicate high fluoride, which they quote as one of the new chemicals…they quote only one paper; this only compares the mean IQs of children in villages with different levels of fluoride, with no allowance made for any other differences, and no actual measurement of fluoride in individual children and comparison with their IQs. This is not good evidence” – Professor Jean Golding
Which are you Tommy, a moron or a troll?
@ The Children’s OT. Can you please help me understand the type of assistance they mean by this ? The article goes in to a lot of detail about how it is being funded and repeats who is involved, but neglects to elaborate on the detail of what assistance means. I have a personal interest here ( just for all the red thumbers of my last post ). Thanks in advance.
Nosmo, Assistive Technology is an umbrella term for any technology used to make an activity easier. It could range from “no tech” e.g. a walking frame, to “low tech” e.g. changing your mobile ‘phone settings or a student using a laptop to type their homework instead of write, and all the way up to “high tech” e.g. complicated home control systems to open/close curtains/entry doors with eye gaze or via a touch pad (RSL Steeper would be a company that supply such, if you wanted to get a better idea of what’s “possible”). For more general info on Assistive Technology, have a look at: http://www.assistireland.ie/eng/
Hope that helps!
Assistive Technology (AT) can be applied to all areas of life, from opening your front door to opening doors to education. Laptops, iPads etc are being used to allow users to be active participants in their own environments. Children can have fully access to the cirriculum thereby enabling them to have a fully rounded education. Across the age spectrum users can use AT to control their environment, turning on/off radio and TV, opening and closing doors and windows, anwering their phones etc. Above all AT can allow people to communicate with anyone who comes in contact with them, a basic right and need for everyone. This can be achieved through eyegaze systems, voice output devices, or low tech devices. AT is an amazing and valuable resource that deserves this positive attention.
Meanwhile the government are doing their upmost to take away VITAL supports for these children to participate in our school system.
Reading between the lines, it seems they plan to try and remove SNA access where needs are anything more than direct physical care and health & safety concerns.
See latest circular 0030/2014 from the Dept Of Ed. It’s chilling reading.
….and bring this up with relevant parties knocking at your doors!
May well be , Boganity. But does anyone know what sort of assistance this jargon means ?
http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/CentreforBehaviourAnalysis/Research/ For the Queens University link
http://smartlab-ie.com/idrc/tag/assistid/ for the UCD smart labs link.
Thank you very much, The Children’s OT and Cathy Kitty Byrne also.
Good to see something positive on this front. I would also welcome more teacher training in the area of autism and learning disabilities. my daughter goes to main stream secondary school with an sna for certain classes but not for all. I have had to deal with teachers doing things like mocking her in front of the class for incorrect answers and calling her the space cadet and teachers berating her for spellings, though she has a spelling and grammar waiver. for the most part her teachers are great and we would be lost without her sna in vital classes for her like home economics. She has thrived in secondary school for the most part but she has also had to deal with comments and attitudes from teachers that encourage other students to bully her.
If you are in the Republc, you can apply to do the doctorate at Queens Belfast or the University of Ulster. Here is a link to theQueens page: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/CentreforBehaviourAnalysis/Research/
The research will encompass all aspects of Assistive technology to support people with autism such as communication, daily living, community inclusion and employment and personal safety. Grace App Communication is an SME partner and we are looking forward to some qualitative research along with further development based on evidence.
have your say