Chaos theory and artificial intelligence may provide insights on disability outcomes

Models arising from studies of human behaviour can help us reflect upon why individuals and societies operate the way they do. In particular, models of disability help us understand not only the determinants of various diseases and disorders and impact of events and interventions on these, but also provide frameworks for health and social care practice. However, these models struggle to account for the multiple dynamic interactions that exist between the physical and emotional experiences of individuals across many and changing environments.1 Thus, to understand the impact of disability in diverse settings, models must incorporate measures of the numerous and diverse transactions and intersections that occur among the person, activity, and environment, as they evolve. Chaos theory arises from the study of dynamical systems in which non‐linear processes are highly sensitive to fluctuations and particularly to initial conditions. Many natural systems, such as weather and climate, represent chaotic systems,2 but applications of chaos theory to studies of human behaviour have been limited3 and even more restricted in the field of disability and special needs.4