Development of a tool to assess visual attention in Rett syndrome: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Assistive Technology
• Communication Sciences

Background:

• Rett syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder affecting communication abilities.
• Assessing visual attention is crucial for understanding engagement in individuals with Rett syndrome, particularly those using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
• Existing tools may not adequately capture visual attention during naturalistic interactions with AAC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Assessment of Visual Attention in Interaction (AVAI) tool.
• To assess visual attention in individuals with Rett syndrome using AAC during interactions.
• To evaluate the reliability, validity, and utility of the AVAI tool.

Main Methods:

• A two-phase study involving nine female participants with Rett syndrome (ages 15-52).
• Development of the AVAI tool to measure focused gazes (≥1 second) at communication partners, objects, and symbols.
• Analysis of video-recorded interactions to determine intra- and inter-rater agreement, sensitivity to change, and acceptability.

Main Results:

• The AVAI tool demonstrated significant differences in results between conditions with and without aided-language modeling.
• Moderate to strong inter-rater agreement was observed, indicating reliability.
• The AVAI tool showed a range of scores, differentiating between participants, and was found to be reliable, sensitive to change, and acceptable.

Conclusions:

• The Assessment of Visual Attention in Interaction (AVAI) is a reliable, valid, and acceptable tool for assessing visual attention in individuals with Rett syndrome using AAC.
• The AVAI tool can differentiate performance between individuals and detect changes, making it suitable for evaluating interventions.
• This tool holds potential for research and clinical practice in supporting communication for individuals with Rett syndrome.