Case Study + Device Design Assignment
14 September 2006For next week please use the case studies handed out in class to develop a solution, a practical device that can aid the patient towards independence and successful path to therapy. Make sure to recognize the disabilities each patient has and clearly identify how your group’s device is resolving the problems.
This should be a quick assignment for brainstorming, figuring out who the other people in the class are and how they think and an introduction to developing assistive technology. Anita and I would like to see a tangible product built out to demonstrate your solution. If the solution is a little more complicated then a series of sketches of how the device would be used would be good too.
If you have any questions let us know.
Below are the case studies, if you would like to make your own case study feel free to create a patient.
Case Study One: Babette
Babette is a 6 year old, Asian girl who just entered 1st grade. Although she has only been in school for a few weeks, the teacher notices that she rarely plays with other children and seems uncomfortable during free time. During planned class activities, Babette tends to work alone and shy away from partners.
She is able to draw shapes but unable to “draw a person” well. Body parts are not symmetrical, nor are they all in the right places. Babette frequently omits details like hair, clothing and facial features. She is unable to write her name, although she does recognize letters correctly. She appears to follow along during reading activities but is unable to read along when the class reads aloud.
During recess and playtime she plays alone and rarely can be encouraged to participate in active games. The teacher wants to develop something that will encourage Babette to participate actively and begin to make friendships.
Case Study Two: Murray
Murray is a 46 year old, Caucasian male who lives alone in a small single-story home. He sustained a spinal cord injury in 1984. For the first 10 years or so, Murray used a manual wheelchair for mobility but found that he was no longer able to propel the wheelchair to meet his needs. He uses a powered wheelchair and holds the joystick with his stronger, right arm. He is unable to perform position changes. He relies on an aide to get him up, dressed, bathed, and out of bed in the morning and to put him back to bed at night. The aide also leaves prepared meals within his reach in the refrigerator. He is able to remove the meals and heat them in the microwave. The aide washes the dishes when he returns in the evening.
He has good neck and head strength. He can lift his shoulders but is somewhat weak. He can bend his elbows but is unable to move his hands or wrists.
He uses a pointer in a splint to access a computer but finds it very tiring. At home he uses a conventional telephone because the handset is easiest to hold. He is unable to hold a cordless telephone well enough to hold a conversation. He uses his cell phone for emergencies only because it is SO hard to hold. He loves electronic devices- IPOD, Cell phone, PDA, etc. but hates that he can’t use them well.
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