Abstract
Increasingly researchers are attempting to develop robotic technologies for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This pilot study investigated the development and application of a novel robotic system capable of dynamic, adaptive, and autonomous interaction during imitation tasks with embedded real-time performance evaluation and feedback. The system was designed to incorporate both a humanoid robot and a human examiner. We compared child performance within system across these conditions in a sample of preschool children with ASD (n = 8) and a control sample of typically developing children (n = 8). The system was well-tolerated in the sample, children with ASD exhibited greater attention to the robotic system than the human administrator, and for children with ASD imitation performance appeared superior during the robotic interaction.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by in part by a Grant from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (Hobbs Grant), a Vanderbilt University Innovation and Discovery in Engineering and Science (IDEAS) Grant, the National Science Foundation under Grants 0967170 and 1264462, and the National Institute of Health under Grants 1R01MH091102-01A1 and R21 MH103518. Work also includes core support from NICHD (P30HD15052) and NCATS (UL1TR000445-06). The authors would also express great appreciation to the participants and their families for assisting in this research.
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Warren, Z., Zheng, Z., Das, S. et al. Brief Report: Development of a Robotic Intervention Platform for Young Children with ASD. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 3870–3876 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2334-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2334-0