Using an Extended Automatic Target Acquisition Program with dual cursor technology to assist people with developmental disabilities improve their pointing efficiency.

The latest research adopting software technology to improve pointing performance is through an Extended Automatic Pointing Assistive Program (EAPAP). However, EAPAP has some limitations. This study evaluated whether two children with developmental disabilities would be able to improve their pointing performance through an Extended Dual Cursor Automatic Pointing Assistive Program (EDCAPAP), which solves the limitations of EAPAP. Initially, both participants had their baseline sessions. Then intervention started with the first participant. New baseline and intervention occurred with the second participant when his performance was consolidated. Finally, both participants were exposed to the maintenance phase, in which their pointing performance improved significantly. Results of this study showed that, with the assistance of EDCAPAP, participants can position targets quickly, easily, and accurately, thus helping the disabled to solve their pointing problems. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.