Towards universal access through automated assessment of defined clinical populations

Abstract

Specific clinical populations often display behavioural characteristics which can seriously impair the ability to engage in a variety of activities taken for granted in other social groups. If the principle of universal access is to be rigorously pursued it is essential that assessment and understanding of the capabilities of the individuals concerned can be effectively and efficiently achieved. A typical example - and the one considered here - is the condition of dyspraxia in younger children. This paper develops a child-centred paradigm where assessment and individual profiling of dyspraxic children can be carried out within an automated computer-assisted scenario. It is argued that the approach described can both facilitate a characterisation and improved understanding of the condition itself and point to strategies for developing rehabilitation programmes, both of which are crucial in achieving a genuine degree of inclusivity for this group which is a key feature of the principle of universal access. © Springer-Verlag 2004.