Features of employment-related technology for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A thematic analysis.

Background The aim of this study was to identify, extract, summarize and list the features of applied cognitive technology used to support employment-related outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Method Thematic analysis was employed on a published research base of 41 studies obtained through a larger scoping review of the literature on the same topic. Results The thematic analysis identified 109 technology features categorized into 14 main categories of features, which were grouped into three over-arching categories, Output, Input and General Features. The majority of the studies comprised "Output" features with "Audio" features being the most frequent category. Studies using more sophisticated technology incorporated a wider range of features and a larger number of references. Conclusions Further investigation regarding the association of specific technology features with the enhancement of various cognitive functions will assist the decision making and technology selection process.