自閉症學生除了在溝通、社會互動能力有困難，亦存在有運動缺損問題。精細動作及粗大動作表現，皆有落後同年齡者的情況，有可能影響其日常生活工具之操作。本研究針對技術型高中餐飲服務科自閉症學生，在學習內容的切割食材時操作刀具，有動作不流暢的情形。本研究針對自閉症學生需求，採3D列印技術發展個別化設計刀具握柄輔具，以確認個別化設計輔具，對於切割食材表現之影響；分為二個歷程，第一部分說明3D列印握把開發過程；第二部分進行成品介入成效驗證的單一個案實驗研究。確認自閉症學生切割食材之功能表現與滿意度，其中功能表現，係指學生切菜速度及切菜品質之表現；實驗歷時2個月，3D列印刀具握柄歷經5次的調整，結果：(1) 3D列印技術能應用於發展個別化設計刀具握柄；(2)自閉症學生使用3D列印刀具握柄能提升其切菜速度；(3)評估切菜品質時，受試者出現天花板效應，較難評斷自閉症學生使用3D列印刀具握柄，對於切菜品質影響，推測為實驗之輔助線設計影響所致；(4)自閉症學生對於使用3D列印刀具握柄的滿意度，各項度皆為「極滿意」，具正向態度；期待3D列印技術能廣泛應用於身心障礙者之輔具發展。

Motivation & Purpose

Students with autistic spectrum disorders not only face difficulties in communication and social interaction but also experience motor skill deficits. Both fine and gross motor skills tend to lag behind their peers, potentially impacting their use of tools for activities of daily living. According to statistics, a significant number of high school students with autism spectrum disorders study in the Department of Food and Beverage Services. Their curriculum includes tasks such as cutting food, and researchers have observed that some autistic spectrum disorders students exhibit unsmooth movements when using knives. However, there is currently limited research addressing the specific needs of autistic spectrum disorders students and developing related assistive tools to assess the impact of individualized design aids on their performance in cutting food. The characteristics of 3D printing technology, enable the development of personalized assistive tools at a lower cost. With the booming development of assistive device products, the phenomenon of abandonment of assistive devices has also occurred; therefore, it is very important for professionals to investigate users’ feelings about the use of assistive devices while providing training on the use of assistive devices. The ergonomic design allows the user to use the knife with less grip; however, for the autistic spectrum disorders, it is necessary to make individual designs and investigate its functional performance. Therefore, the research aims to use 3D printing technology to develop individualized designs for knife handles tailored to the needs of high school autistic spectrum disorders students. In order to investigate individually designed assistive devices for students with autism spectrum disorders, and the user’s own satisfaction performance to avoid abandonment of assistive devices.

Methods

The research methodology adopts a single-case experimental design with alternating interventions, establishing a development process for 3D-printed individualized knife handles. Let students understand the process of assistive device evaluation, and try to arrange a fixed evaluation cycle, and give students a notice before each session. Understand students’ behavioral functions through behavioral function analysis and formulate antecedent control strategies, which can effectively reduce students’ inappropriate emotional behaviors. Use 3D printing technology to individually design assistive devices for people with hand operation difficulties, and use standardized tests to confirm that users are effective in operating assistive devices. Targeting the core traits and emotional and behavioral problems of autistic spectrum disorders students, strategies such as prior control, advance assessment time, structured assessment environment, and simplified operating instructions can all reduce the anxiety caused by their traits; individually designed assistive tool has certain operating benefits for people with difficulty in hand operation and can improve their functional performance during operation. The 3D printer CR-10 v3, the Structure Sensor portable 3D scanner, software for designing include Blender, and Cura 3D Slicing software, as well as food preparation evaluation form, etc. The study also investigates the functional performance and satisfaction of autistic students in using the 3D-printed knife. The performance scales were recruited including cutting speed and cutting quality. This study uses the standardized evaluation tool T-QUEST to confirm that the subject’s satisfaction with assistive devices. The research method is mainly based on a single case study method, focusing on the research object, confirming the needs of the research object, and then developing assistive devices. In the process, the comfort or functional performance of the research object is confirmed, and adjustments are gradually made and the finished product is produced; there are great differences between people with disabilities, and assistive devices also need to be individually designed based on the individual’s own needs.

Results

The experiment took approximately two months, involving five adjustments to the 3D-printed knife handles, and the results of the study indicate: 1. 3D printing technology is successfully applied to develop personalized knife handles. 2. Autistic students using 3D-printed knife handles show improved cutting speed. 3. Evaluating cutting quality proves challenging due to a ceiling effect, potentially influenced by the design of auxiliary lines in the experiment. 4. Autistic students express high satisfaction and a positive attitude toward using 3D-printed knife handles. This study provides recommendations for the research subjects, research tools, research design, and the design of 3D-printed knives, serving as a reference for future researchers.

Discussion & Suggestion

Based on the research results, we comprehensively discuss the individual design and development process of 3D printed knife handles, the cutting speed performance, cutting quality performance and satisfaction results of subjects using 3D printed knives. Through the experiments of this study, the design steps for 3D printing tool handles and the printing settings when using a 3D printer were constructed, which can provide individualized design for personnel involved in services for people with disabilities. One of the options for assistive devices. The subjects’ use of 3D printed knives was effective in improving their cutting speed; however, based on the experimental design of this study, it had no significant impact on the quality of cutting vegetables. In addition, the subjects had a positive attitude toward satisfaction with the 3D printing tools in this study. The use of 3D printing technology to individually design 3D printing assistive devices can effectively improve the user’s operating efficiency. Among them, adjusting the thickness of the tool’s handle can be better for most people with difficulty in hand movement. Operational benefits. It is speculated that the auxiliary line design in the experimental design is an effective visual cue for the subjects, and the different knives used will not affect their performance in cutting vegetables. We hope that 3D printing technology can be more widely applied in the development of assistive devices for individuals with various disabilities. When 3D printing was applied in educational settings, it was found that when printing handles or other similar assistive devices, in addition to considering environmental factors during printing and adjusting parameters such as temperature and speed, adjustments to printing parameters such as Z-seam alignment, sharpest corners, seam settings, and hidden seams could be made if smoothness of the finished product was required. These settings effectively improved the smoothness of 3D-printed knife handles in the experimental tests of this study. After multiple adjustments, students in the educational settings gave the assistive devices designed in this research extremely high satisfaction ratings regarding comfort. The future challenge lies in establishing standardized assessment methods for parameters such as “fine motor skills” and “cutting quality”, and integrating relevant professional teams into educational settings to provide more professional and refined special education technology services.