1
|
Kewalramani S, Allen KA, Leif E, Ng A. A Scoping Review of the Use of Robotics Technologies for Supporting Social-Emotional Learning in Children with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-06193-2. [PMID: 38017310 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06193-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
This scoping review synthesises the current research into robotics technologies for promoting social-emotional learning in children with autism spectrum disorder. It examines the types of robotics technologies employed, their applications, and the gaps in the existing literature. Our scoping review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. The systematic search of relevant databases allowed us to identify studies that use robotics technologies for fostering social, emotional, and cognitive skills in young children with autism. Our review has revealed that various robots, such as Nao, Kaspar, and Zeno, have been used to support the development of social and emotional skills through imitation games, turn-taking, joint attention, emotional recognition, and conversation. As most of these studies were conducted in clinical settings, there is a need for further research in classroom and community-based environments. Additionally, the literature calls for more high-quality longitudinal studies to assess the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of robot-assisted therapy and to assess adaptive and personalised interventions tailored to individual needs. More emphasis is recommended on professional development for educators, parents, and health professionals to incorporate robotics technologies as evidence-based interventions as a pathway for creating inclusive learning environments for children with autism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarika Kewalramani
- Department of Education, School of Social Sciences Media Film and Education, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, 3122, Australia.
| | - Kelly-Ann Allen
- School of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
- Centre for Wellbeing Science, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Erin Leif
- School of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Andrea Ng
- Department of Education, School of Social Sciences Media Film and Education, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, 3122, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pinto-Bernal MJ, Sierra M. SD, Munera M, Casas D, Villa-Moreno A, Frizera-Neto A, Stoelen MF, Belpaeme T, Cifuentes CA. Do different robot appearances change emotion recognition in children with ASD? Front Neurorobot 2023; 17:1044491. [PMID: 36937553 PMCID: PMC10017775 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2023.1044491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Socially Assistive Robotics has emerged as a potential tool for rehabilitating cognitive and developmental disorders in children with autism. Social robots found in the literature are often able to teach critical social skills, such as emotion recognition and physical interaction. Even though there are promising results in clinical studies, there is a lack of guidelines on selecting the appropriate robot and how to design and implement the child-robot interaction. Methods This work aims to evaluate the impacts of a social robot designed with three different appearances according to the results of a participatory design (PD) process with the community. A validation study in the emotion recognition task was carried out with 21 children with autism. Results Spectrum disorder results showed that robot-like appearances reached a higher percentage of children's attention and that participants performed better when recognizing simple emotions, such as happiness and sadness. Discussion This study offers empirical support for continuing research on using SAR to promote social interaction with children with ASD. Further long-term research will help to identify the differences between high and low-functioning children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sergio D. Sierra M.
- Bristol Robotics Laboratory, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Marcela Munera
- Bristol Robotics Laboratory, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Colombian School of Engineering Julio Garavito, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Diego Casas
- School of Engineering, Science and Technology, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Anselmo Frizera-Neto
- Electrical Engineering Department, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Victoria, Brazil
| | - Martin F. Stoelen
- Faculty of Engineering and Science, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Carlos A. Cifuentes
- Bristol Robotics Laboratory, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
- School of Engineering, Science and Technology, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
- *Correspondence: Carlos A. Cifuentes
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kaelin VC, Valizadeh M, Salgado Z, Parde N, Khetani MA. Artificial Intelligence in Rehabilitation Targeting the Participation of Children and Youth With Disabilities: Scoping Review. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23:e25745. [PMID: 34734833 PMCID: PMC8603165 DOI: 10.2196/25745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the last decade, there has been a rapid increase in research on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve child and youth participation in daily life activities, which is a key rehabilitation outcome. However, existing reviews place variable focus on participation, are narrow in scope, and are restricted to select diagnoses, hindering interpretability regarding the existing scope of AI applications that target the participation of children and youth in a pediatric rehabilitation setting. OBJECTIVE The aim of this scoping review is to examine how AI is integrated into pediatric rehabilitation interventions targeting the participation of children and youth with disabilities or other diagnosed health conditions in valued activities. METHODS We conducted a comprehensive literature search using established Applied Health Sciences and Computer Science databases. Two independent researchers screened and selected the studies based on a systematic procedure. Inclusion criteria were as follows: participation was an explicit study aim or outcome or the targeted focus of the AI application; AI was applied as part of the provided and tested intervention; children or youth with a disability or other diagnosed health conditions were the focus of either the study or AI application or both; and the study was published in English. Data were mapped according to the types of AI, the mode of delivery, the type of personalization, and whether the intervention addressed individual goal-setting. RESULTS The literature search identified 3029 documents, of which 94 met the inclusion criteria. Most of the included studies used multiple applications of AI with the highest prevalence of robotics (72/94, 77%) and human-machine interaction (51/94, 54%). Regarding mode of delivery, most of the included studies described an intervention delivered in-person (84/94, 89%), and only 11% (10/94) were delivered remotely. Most interventions were tailored to groups of individuals (93/94, 99%). Only 1% (1/94) of interventions was tailored to patients' individually reported participation needs, and only one intervention (1/94, 1%) described individual goal-setting as part of their therapy process or intervention planning. CONCLUSIONS There is an increasing amount of research on interventions using AI to target the participation of children and youth with disabilities or other diagnosed health conditions, supporting the potential of using AI in pediatric rehabilitation. On the basis of our results, 3 major gaps for further research and development were identified: a lack of remotely delivered participation-focused interventions using AI; a lack of individual goal-setting integrated in interventions; and a lack of interventions tailored to individually reported participation needs of children, youth, or families.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vera C Kaelin
- Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Children's Participation in Environment Research Lab, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Mina Valizadeh
- Computer Science, College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Natural Language Processing Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Zurisadai Salgado
- Children's Participation in Environment Research Lab, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Occupational Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Natalie Parde
- Computer Science, College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Natural Language Processing Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Mary A Khetani
- Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Children's Participation in Environment Research Lab, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Occupational Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lecciso F, Levante A, Fabio RA, Caprì T, Leo M, Carcagnì P, Distante C, Mazzeo PL, Spagnolo P, Petrocchi S. Emotional Expression in Children With ASD: A Pre-Study on a Two-Group Pre-Post-Test Design Comparing Robot-Based and Computer-Based Training. Front Psychol 2021; 12:678052. [PMID: 34366997 PMCID: PMC8334177 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have found a delay in the development of facial emotion recognition and expression in children with an autism spectrum condition (ASC). Several interventions have been designed to help children to fill this gap. Most of them adopt technological devices (i.e., robots, computers, and avatars) as social mediators and reported evidence of improvement. Few interventions have aimed at promoting emotion recognition and expression abilities and, among these, most have focused on emotion recognition. Moreover, a crucial point is the generalization of the ability acquired during treatment to naturalistic interactions. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two technological-based interventions focused on the expression of basic emotions comparing a robot-based type of training with a "hybrid" computer-based one. Furthermore, we explored the engagement of the hybrid technological device introduced in the study as an intermediate step to facilitate the generalization of the acquired competencies in naturalistic settings. A two-group pre-post-test design was applied to a sample of 12 children (M = 9.33; ds = 2.19) with autism. The children were included in one of the two groups: group 1 received a robot-based type of training (n = 6); and group 2 received a computer-based type of training (n = 6). Pre- and post-intervention evaluations (i.e., time) of facial expression and production of four basic emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, and anger) were performed. Non-parametric ANOVAs found significant time effects between pre- and post-interventions on the ability to recognize sadness [t (1) = 7.35, p = 0.006; pre: M (ds) = 4.58 (0.51); post: M (ds) = 5], and to express happiness [t (1) = 5.72, p = 0.016; pre: M (ds) = 3.25 (1.81); post: M (ds) = 4.25 (1.76)], and sadness [t (1) = 10.89, p < 0; pre: M (ds) = 1.5 (1.32); post: M (ds) = 3.42 (1.78)]. The group*time interactions were significant for fear [t (1) = 1.019, p = 0.03] and anger expression [t (1) = 1.039, p = 0.03]. However, Mann-Whitney comparisons did not show significant differences between robot-based and computer-based training. Finally, no difference was found in the levels of engagement comparing the two groups in terms of the number of voice prompts given during interventions. Albeit the results are preliminary and should be interpreted with caution, this study suggests that two types of technology-based training, one mediated via a humanoid robot and the other via a pre-settled video of a peer, perform similarly in promoting facial recognition and expression of basic emotions in children with an ASC. The findings represent the first step to generalize the abilities acquired in a laboratory-trained situation to naturalistic interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Lecciso
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.,Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Annalisa Levante
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.,Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Rosa Angela Fabio
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Tindara Caprì
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Marco Leo
- Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems, National Research Council, Lecce, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Carcagnì
- Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems, National Research Council, Lecce, Italy
| | - Cosimo Distante
- Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems, National Research Council, Lecce, Italy
| | - Pier Luigi Mazzeo
- Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems, National Research Council, Lecce, Italy
| | - Paolo Spagnolo
- Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems, National Research Council, Lecce, Italy
| | - Serena Petrocchi
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Saleh MA, Hanapiah FA, Hashim H. Robot applications for autism: a comprehensive review. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2020; 16:580-602. [PMID: 32706602 DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2019.1685016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Technological advances in robotics have brought about exciting developments in different areas such as education, training, and therapy. Recent research has suggested that the robot can be even more effective in rehabilitation, therapy, and education for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this paper, a comprehensive review of robotic technology for children with ASD is presented wherein a large number of journals and conference proceedings in science and engineering search engines' databases were implicated. MATERIALS AND METHODS A search for related literature was conducted in three search engines' databases, Web of Science, Scopus, and IEEE Xplore. Thematic keywords were used to identify articles in the recent ten years in titles, keywords, and abstracts. The retrieved articles were filtered, analysed, and evaluated based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS A total of 208 studies were retrieved, while 166 met the inclusion criteria. The selected studies were reviewed according to the type of robot, the participants, objectives, and methods. 68 robots were used in all studies, NAO robot was used in 30.5% of those studies. The total number of participants in all studies was 1671. The highest percentage of the studies reviewed were dedicated to augmenting the learning skills. CONCLUSIONS Robots and the associated schemes were used to determine their feasibility and validity for augmenting the learning skills of autistic children. Most of the studies reviewed were focused on improving the social communication skills of autistic children and measuring the extent of robot mitigation of stereotyped autistic behaviours.Implications for rehabilitationSocial robots are not considered as promising tools to be utilized for rehabilitation of autistic children only, but also has been used for children and young people with severe intellectual disability.Rehabilitation for individuals with ASD using robots can augment their cognitive and social skills, but further studies should be conducted to clarify its effectiveness based on other factors such as sex, age and IQ of the participates.Robotic-based rehabilitation is not limited to the physical robots only, but virtual robots have been used also, whereas each of which can be used individually or simultaneously. However, further study is required to assess the extent of its efficiency and effectiveness for both cases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Habibah Hashim
- Faculty ofElectrical Engineering, UiTM, Shah Alam, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Technology-Facilitated Diagnosis and Treatment of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Engineering Perspective. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/app7101051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|