Mealtime Partners, Inc.

Adaptive Switches

Adaptive switches allow people who have physical and/or intellectual disabilities to significantly increase their control over their entire world. Once someone is able to operate adaptive switches, they are able to control a large array of different equipment. With the activation of a switch, lights can be turned on or off; the door can be opened or closed; the phone answered; email sent and received; etc.

Adaptive switches come in a wide variety of designs. The most common adaptive switches require physical contact with the switch to cause activation of whatever the switch is plugged into. When the switch is pressed, electrical contact is made; when the switch is released, the electrical contact is broken. This is just like how a light switch in a house turns lights on or off. The differences within the various contact-type adaptive switches that are commercially available are: their physical external size; the amount of force required to activate the switch; whether the switch produces a sound when it is activated that provides auditory feedback to the user; and whether the surface of the switch is textured to provide tactile feedback to the user (covered with sandpaper or a fabric, etc.).

Additionally, a variety of “proximity” switches are available. This type of switch does not require the user to actually make physical contact with the adaptive switch. Activation of these switches depends upon the technology being used. Some use a beam of light, visible or invisible, to activate the electronic circuit. When the beam of light is interrupted, the circuit is activated. This can be accomplished by the movement of a body part to interrupt the beam and, if positioned properly, requires very little physical effort on the part of the user.

Sensing the distance between the user and the switch can also activate another type of proximity switch. If a user moves a body part closer to the switch, the switch will activate. When the user moves away, the switch deactivates. This technology is used extensively in wheelchair drive controls that are built into the head arrays of the chair. See Adaptive Switch Labs Website for more information about proximity switches. The Handbook of Adaptive Switches and Augmentative Communication Devices, 3rd Edition is produced by Academic Software and provides a thorough overview of the adaptive switches available and how best to use them.

However, if someone doesn’t have the ability to activate a switch reliably, these switches are of little value to them. Some individuals need to be taught to use an adaptive switch (at least, reliably). For many people, the old adage practice makes perfect is very appropriate and using an adaptive switch repetitively will improve the person’s ability to reliably use the switch. However, it is sometimes difficult to find the proper motivation to practice switch use. It is especially difficult for children who do not appreciate the importance of practice in achieving the final goal of switch mastery. Therefore, it is essential to find activities that are stimulating and provide a big reward for success that doesn’t become boring after just a few repetitions.

Many classrooms are equipped with devices that allow adaptive switches to operate electrical appliances. Visit the Ablenet Website for examples of group activity kits that facilitate inclusion of students who are unable to participate in regular classroom activities due to their disabilities. The problem with the activities that these devices facilitate is that they often become boring because, even though they allow the student to participate in the activity, it doesn’t provide enough “reward” to make it exciting over time. An example of this is using a mixer to make cake batter. In many cases, pressing a switch and holding it down does not translate in the child’s mind to making batter in the same way as the other children who hold the mixer. Even when the switch activation does translate into mixing the batter, making the batter is far removed from the final product, a cake. A far better activity for those who have a short attention span is to make instant pudding. It takes a short time to mix it up, have it thicken, and can be eaten relatively soon by the student so that they can relate mixing it up with the final product. The beaters on the mixer could even be licked to associate the activity of mixing the milk and pudding mix with the final product - pudding.

Adaptive switches can also be used to activate battery-operated devices such as toys, bubble blowers and CD players. For battery operated devices, this is easily achieved by using a Battery Device Adapter, shown below. These devices have a phono jack on one end, into which the adaptive switch is plugged. The other end of the adapter has a copper disk that is inserted into the battery compartment of the toy, between the battery and the electrical contact in the battery holder. The device is then turned on, but it does not activate until the adaptive switch is pressed. (A switch latch and timer device can be used for click-on and click-off operation if the device being controlled dictates the use of that type of control (a radio, for example). Refer to the Adaptive Tech Solutions Website.)

Picture of Two Battery Device Adapters

Many companies, such as Enabling Devices and Ablenet, Inc., sell extensive kits for the classroom that provide access to a wide variety of activities to make switch practice and learning readily available and more enjoyable to students who have access limits.

For adults, being able to control their television and change the channels at will is enough motivation for most people to become competent switch operators. People who have physical issues such as involuntary movement, or intellectual limits that make acquiring skills more difficult, often have difficulty with adaptive switch control. For this group of people two issues are very significant: the selection of the most appropriate switch; and, making sure that the switch is positioned so that the individual can access it with the least effort. And of course, they will require practice, and more practice.

In all cases, whether it is in the home or in the classroom, switches figuratively, and literally, can open doors. Many of the activities that we all enjoy can be made available through their use. The Mealtime Partner Dining System is no exception. It has the advantage that it can be controlled using 2, 1 or no adaptive switches. It is able to operate with almost any commercially available adaptive switch (however, it is not recommended that you use a Sip N Puff switch because the food being eaten might clog the tube). The Mealtime Partner brings a different form of motivation to practicing switch use: for every switch-activation, the user receives a bite of food. It is a very natural way of practicing and the user is self-motivated by using switches to acquire food, and thus continue switch use. For even a small snack, several switch activations will have been achieved and within a relatively short time, a user can become a competent switch operator. One of the great joys of Mealtime Partner users is that they can snack without being a burden to their caregiver. They can eat potato chips or popcorn independently for as long as they want! Click here for more information about the Mealtime Partner Dining System.