Neuropsychological function for accessibility of computer program for people with mental retardation

The extent to which people with mental retardation are benefit from the modern information technology is not well explored. A better understanding on ways that the existing human-computer interface would challenge people with mental retardation would shed light on this issue. This study was investigated the neuropsychological functions which are important for enhancing the competence of people with mental retardation to operate on the Internet Explorer (IE) program. Sixty-two participants with mental retardation were invited to conduct a set of neuropsychological tests. Their computer performance was also evaluated. Resulted indicated that some specific neuropsychological functions including attention and visual scanning, psychomotor and language were predictive of their overall computer competence. The implication on ways to improve the design for computer programs for this population was discussed. Copyright © 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.