Measurement Characteristics and Clinical Utility of the Assistive Technology Device Predisposition Assessment (ATD PA) Among Mixed Patient Populations

Assistive technologies are products that enhance the functioning of people with disabilities who have mobility, communication, sensory, and cognitive needs for support. Assistive technology products include wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility devices; speech communication devices; products for hearing and vision enhancement; and memory aids. The available options in each of these product categories are vast, thus enabling professionals to select products for the unique individual based upon their personal characteristics and preferences. The key is to partner with the user to define both needs and preferences and then select and adapt the best option for that person (ie, discover what product characteristics best match the user’s needs and preferences). The Assistive Technology Device Predisposition Assessment (ATD PA), designed to help rehabilitation professionals and consumers select new and/or additional AT, is the only international measure with reliable and valid evidence available to assess the best match of the person and technology. ^{,  ,}  ATD PA can be used to compare expectations of benefit at time of selection with realization of benefit at follow-up ^, for individuals with, but not limited to, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, and stroke. The ATD PA items are mapped to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and are relevant across most categories of ISO 9999:2016 Assistive Products for Persons with Disability. It is compatible with the set of the World Health Organization’s Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) strategic priorities, which place people at the core of policy.