DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.27216048
title: An intensive eye-tracking intervention in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy: a multiple case study

description: This study aimed to explore the effects of a four-week intensive eye-tracking intervention on children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy (DCP), focusing on goal attainment, communication competencies, stress levels, subjective workload, and caregivers’ perception of psychosocial impact. A multiple case study design with non-concurrent, staggered multiple baselines was employed, involving three children aged 7, 12, and 13 years. The study included a randomized baseline period of two or three weeks, an intensive eye-tracking intervention, and a six-month follow-up. Two individual eye-tracking goals were identified and assessed using the Goal Attainment Scale, while communication competencies were evaluated with the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Profile: A Continuum of Learning. Stress levels were monitored through Heart Rate Variability measured by the Bittium Faros 360° ECG Holter during eye-tracking tasks. Subjective workload and psychosocial impact were assessed using pictograms and the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale, respectively. Descriptive statistics were applied for analysis. All participants attained and retained their eye-tracking goals, regardless of their initial functional profiles or prior experience with eye-tracking technology. Post-intervention improvements in communication competencies were maintained at the six-month follow-up. Variations in stress levels, subjective workload, and psychosocial impact were observed among participants across different phases of the study, aiding the interpretation of the results. The study concludes that a structured, tailored, four-week intensive eye-tracking intervention can yield successful results in children with DCP, irrespective of their baseline communication abilities or functional profile. Recommendations for future research, including more robust methodologies and reliable computerized tests, are provided. A four-week intensive and structured eye-tracking intervention in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy appears feasible and may lead to the acquisition and retention of meaningful eye-tracking goals, regardless of functional profile or prior eye-tracking experience.Objective measurement of baseline communication competencies could assist the clinical practice in identifying areas of difficulty, thereby facilitating a tailored goal-setting and goal-attainment approach.Cognition, effort, and motivation may influence intervention outcomes and should be strongly considered in future studies with more robust methodology.Reliable computerized versions of pen-paper assessments with eye-tracking as a response modality are needed to enable a better understanding of skill-acquisition processes in the goal group. A four-week intensive and structured eye-tracking intervention in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy appears feasible and may lead to the acquisition and retention of meaningful eye-tracking goals, regardless of functional profile or prior eye-tracking experience. Objective measurement of baseline communication competencies could assist the clinical practice in identifying areas of difficulty, thereby facilitating a tailored goal-setting and goal-attainment approach. Cognition, effort, and motivation may influence intervention outcomes and should be strongly considered in future studies with more robust methodology. Reliable computerized versions of pen-paper assessments with eye-tracking as a response modality are needed to enable a better understanding of skill-acquisition processes in the goal group.