Robotics Applications in the Training of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Asd And Socially Assistive Robotics

Robotic technology is a rapidly developing field, with many subcategories of tools. Socially assistive robotics (SAR) is a subcategory of robotics that emerged from rehabilitation robotics (RR), and has played the role of a catalytic agent regarding the way people perceive robots nowadays (Hanafiah et al., 2012). RR can be defined as an intervening form of technology, but SAR refers to robots that help humans without direct contact being necessary. These kinds of robots can help, for example, people who have suffered stroke, people with Alzheimer’s disease, mental health issues, and also those with ASD. It is noteworthy that SAR is currently being implemented in both general education and special education classrooms, as a means of enhancing the learning potential of children (Matarić, 2017). Regarding children with ASD, socially assistive robots (SARs) can be implemented in different types of activities to help children with cognitive and social deficits, who show improvement following SAR intervention (Cho & Ahn, 2016).

The benefits for children with ASD of using ICT in general have been documented. Studies show that people with ASD tend to engage easily in interaction with computer devices, and enjoy such experiences, which they find predictable (Colby & Smith, 1971; Powell, 1996; Moore, 1998). Although many types of technology-assisted interventions are implemented for children with ASD, it is believed that robotics might, in practice, be more enjoyable for them than using, for example, virtual reality environments (Pan & Steed, 2016). One possible explanation for their increased interest in robots is that, unlike a virtual partner, robots are tangible objects (Lee et al., 2006; Wainer et al., 2006). Another study refers to the toy-like appearance of robots that is usually attractive to the children, and non-threatening, with the result that they are more likely to develop mutual attention skills with SARs. It is also noted that robots work not only as toys, but also as partners in interactions (Scassellati et al., 2012).

The use of SARs has been shown to have many benefits, mainly for the schoolchildren with ASD, but also for the teacher/therapist. Some of these benefits are:

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  Improvement in the social skills of the children through cooperation

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  Manifestation and reinforcement of the different types of skills that the children already possess

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  Easier and more effective comprehension of abstract concepts through practice (Virnes et al., 2008; Alimisis et al., 2010; Demo et al., 2012)

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  High motivation of the children to engage in tasks, as robots provide predictable interactions and tend to be less intimidating than human partners (Robins et al., 2005; Scassellati, 2007)

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  Learning is visualized, and therefore more likely to be successful, as children with ASD, in general, show greater interest in visual stimuli (Shipley-Benamou et al., 2002; Whalen et al., 2006)