1. Using a Humanoid Robot as a Complement to Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Pilot Study
- Author
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Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf, Aziz Rouame, Daniela Tanzini, Massimiliano Malavasi, Paola Bonifacci, Maria Cristina Cutrone, Lorenzo Desideri, Marco Negrini, Desideri L., Negrini M., Malavasi M., Tanzini D., Rouame A., Cutrone M.C., Bonifacci P., and Hoogerwerf E.-J.
- Subjects
media_common.quotation_subject ,Psychological intervention ,Developmental psychology ,Education ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Social skills ,Intellectual disability ,medicine ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Autism spectrum disorder ,media_common ,Social robot ,Social work ,05 social sciences ,Robotics ,medicine.disease ,Psychology (miscellaneous) ,Imitation ,Psychology ,Human-robot interaction ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Social Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Humanoid robot ,050104 developmental & child psychology - Abstract
Emerging evidence documents that social robots may increase motivation in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when participating in educational activities. This study reports on the results of a pilot test conducted in a public child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) aimed at exploring whether a social robot could increase engagement and learning achievement in two 9-year-old male children with ASD with accompanying intellectual disability, language and communication impairments, and low adaptive skills. Using an ABA1 single-case design, children participated in educational sessions targeting developmental and social skills (e.g., motor imitation, expressive/receptive language, spontaneous requests). The results indicated that interacting with a social robot enhanced engagement (d = 0.78) and goal achievement in one case (d = 2.19), and only goal achievement in the second case (d = 2). The results from the present investigation are discussed in light of their implications for the design of a more robust translational research protocol aimed at assessing the effectiveness of robot-based ASD intervention scenarios.
- Published
- 2018