Date of Graduation

5-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science Education

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Hagstrom, Fran

Committee Member/Reader

Frazier, Kimberly

Committee Member/Second Reader

Aslin, Larry

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the role technology plays in the everyday lives of individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Data was collected via an online questionnaire for parents of adolescents with Down syndrome and took place in two phases: the pilot phase and the large-scale data collection phase. The pilot phase consisted of constructing, giving, and modifying the questionnaire. The large-scale data collection phase included disseminating the questionnaire through social media and resulted in 107 responses. These revealed that technology is widely used by individuals with Down syndrome. As a main outcome, technology provided these individuals with opportunities to act independently and allowed their family units to make necessary adaptations to achieve higher levels of functioning.

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