Extracts about PEAT from a longer article by Kim Moccia, "A Pocketful of Miracles: How Pocket PCs Help People with Special Needs." Pocket PC Magazine Volume 5, No. 5 (November 2002).

A Pocketful of Miracles

How Pocket PCs help people with special needs

By Kim Moccia

Planning with PEAT

PEAT (Planning and Execution Assistant and Trainer) was designed to overcome the limitations associated with the paper day planners that are currently used to help individuals with traumatic brain injuries regain independence. Using an artificial intelligence (AI) planning system called PROPEL (The PROgram Planning and Execution Language-Levinson 1995a), Attention Control Systems Inc. developed PEAT and hopes it will improve the lives of individuals with memory, attention, and cognitive deficits by helping them meet their daily goals on time with less assistance.

During a telephone interview, the company's founder, Richard Levinson, told me, "It's possible to build software that can actually try to compensate for impaired executive functions." And he explained how PEAT was conceived. "It comes out of related work I was doing at NASA, basically working on autonomous robots. The whole idea was, we were trying to get robots to be able to make their own plans and follow through on them in really uncertain and changing situations like up on Mars."

By now you realize that PEAT is not your average scheduling software. Using Pocket PC technology, it guides the user throughout the day with automatic, dynamic, cue cards that prompt the user with sounds and pictures. Helpful feedback is shown including how much time remains until the current task is completed. It even provides links to names and notes related to the task. Caregivers can customize the views and functions to meet the user's needs and capabilities. One user might use the standard calendar (Screen 1) while another might be restricted to the "cue only" mode.

Screen 1: PEAT's setup includes a traditional calendar view that displays the user's daily schedule and To Do list.

In addition, this scheduling system has an advanced entry feature that can "float" tasks that do not require an exact start time (such as going to the bank or shopping). Using this feature PEAT can automatically adjust the daily schedule should an unexpected task arise. Say, for instance, the user has to make an unexpected phone call at 9:00 AM. PEAT would automatically adjust the daily schedule, perhaps by decreasing the time spent having breakfast. This feature is extremely helpful to individuals that struggle with decision-making.

Another important feature of this software is its "scriptability," which allows caregivers and professionals to create activity models that provide the user with step-by-step prompts (Screen 2).

Screen 2: PEAT allows caregivers to create scripts that walk the user through tasks. A script for doing the laundry is displayed here.

The ability of Pocket PCs to play audio prompts makes this an ideal system for individuals needing auditory cues. In Screen 3, the user can read or listen to the shopping list.

Screen 3: PEAT provides written and auditory cues. By tapping the speaker icon the user can listen to the shopping list.

Professionals and family members working with the user can easily create active or passive scripts and customize the scheduling system to meet the user's needs.

Therapists and caregivers will appreciate this software's ability to track the user's interaction with the system. The log in screen (Screen 4) shows when the user was cued to start or stop a task, what the response was, and any modifications to the task. This measurement of executive function performance provides the therapist with valuable information on how the user is interacting in the real world.

Screen 4: PEAT's Log feature can track the user's interaction with the system.

PEAT comes with a Reference Manual, a Treatment Guide and Workbook, an Administrator's Guide, and three integrated software modules: Pocket PEAT-a version that runs on the Pocket PC; PC PEAT-a PC version that allows caregivers to create, maintain, and back up data; and PEAT Link-software that links PC PEAT to a Pocket PC. For purchase information or to download a fully functional 30day trial version of PEAT, visit Attention Control Systems, Inc.'s Web site (http://www.brainaid.com/).

Back to the future

Attention Control Systems, Inc., hopes to stay on the cutting edge of Pocket PC technology with their plans to integrate Internet and phone access. Someday PEAT may not only remind the user to call home but dial the number, too!