Voice Assistive Technology for Activities of Daily Living: Developing an Alexa Telehealth Training for Adults with Cognitive-Communication Disorders

Individuals with cognitive-communication disorders (CCDs) due to neurological conditions, such as traumatic brain injury and aphasia, experience difficulties in communication and cognition that impact their ability to perform activities of daily living, or ADLs (e.g., self-care, meal preparation, scheduling). Voice assistive technology (VAT) can support the independent performance of ADLs; however, there are limited VAT training programs that teach individuals with CCDs how to properly implement and use VAT for ADLs. The present study examined the implementation of an online training program using Alexa voice commands for five ADL domains (scheduling, entertainment, self-care, news & facts, and meal preparation). Using video analysis with seven adults with CCDs between ages 25 and 82 and interviews with five participants and three caregivers, we synthesized five weeks of training performance, analyzed participants' perceived benefits and challenges, and discussed challenges and opportunities for implementing VAT training for ADLs skills for adults with CCDs.