Tablet computers versus optical aids to support education and learning in children and young people with low vision: protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial, CREATE (Children Reading with Electronic Assistance To Educate)

Abstract

IntroductionLow vision and blindness adversely affect education and independence of children and young people. New ‘assistive’ technologies such as tablet computers can display text in enlarged font, read text out to the user, allow speech input and conversion into typed text, offer document and spreadsheet processing and give access to wide sources of information such as the internet. Research on these devices in low vision has been limited to case series.Methods and analysisWe will carry out a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) to assess the feasibility of a full RCT of assistive technologies for children/young people with low vision. We will recruit 40 students age 10–18 years in India and the UK, whom we will randomise 1:1 into two parallel groups. The active intervention will be Apple iPads; the control arm will be the local standard low-vision aid care. Primary outcomes will be acceptance/usage, accessibility of the device and trial feasibility measures (time to recruit children, lost to follow-up). Exploratory outcomes will be validated measures of vision-related quality of life for children/young people as well as validated measures of reading and educational outcomes. In addition, we will carry out semistructured interviews with the participants and their teachers.Ethics and disseminationNRES reference 15/NS/0068; dissemination is planned via healthcare and education sector conferences and publications, as well as via patient support organisations.Trial registration numberNCT02798848; IRAS ID 179658, UCL reference 15/0570.

Effectiveness of the Apple iPad as a Spot-reading Magnifier

“…It is therefore possible that our findings may not replicate in a younger participant pool, a question that is currently partially under investigation by a team in the United Kingdom. 19 An additional factor that could have influenced our data is the difference in screen size between the two devices. The iPad screen diameter is 9.7 in.…”

“…Others have pointed toward the utility of voice output on tablets and smartphones when managing diabetes and low vision due to diabetic retinopathy through assistive technology and medical devices. Thomas and colleagues 18 reported in their Cochrane review that there is currently no high-quality evidence demonstrating the usefulness of devices such as tablet computers, specifically when examining children and youth, a gap that is currently being addressed by Crossland et al 19 …”

Measuring changes in device use of a head-mounted low vision aid after personalised telerehabilitation: protocol for a feasibility study

“…Therefore, without direct comparison standard, we will recruit 60 participants in total, with 30 individuals in each group. This sample size is comparable to other feasibility studies in LV rehabilitation40 and is intended to maximise the available data given the opportunity created through the collaboration with the device manufacturer. Given the proposed recruitment period, this sample size will allow us to evaluate any possible limitations with enrolment and retention more robustly, and will provide rich data on accessibility and acceptability of a telerehabilitation training.…”

Randomized Trial of Tablet Computers for Education and Learning in Children and Young People with Low Vision

“…The Children Reading with Electronic Assistance to Educate study was a multicenter, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial with 1:1 allocation ratio. 14 We enrolled participants at three sites—two in the United Kingdom and one in India. The two participating centers in the United Kingdom were as follows: ( a ) the Child Development Center in Bedford (a multidisciplinary community health, education, and social care facility for children with developmental needs and disabilities) and ( b ) the low vision clinic for children and young people at Moorfields Eye Hospital (a tertiary eye care facility) in London.…”

“…The protocol is previously published. 14 The conduct of this trial complied with the ethical standards defined by the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice. The study protocol was approved by National Research Ethics Committee North of Scotland/Grampian (IRAS ID 179658, NRES reference 15/NS/0068) and Ethics Committee for Human Research at the L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India.…”