Emotional Expression in Children With ASD: A Pre-Study on a Two-Group Pre-Post-Test Design Comparing Robot-Based and Computer-Based Training

A Scoping Review of the Use of Robotics Technologies for Supporting Social-Emotional Learning in Children with Autism

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.

Autistic adults exhibit highly precise representations of others' emotions but a reduced influence of emotion representations on emotion recognition accuracy

To date, studies have not yet established the mechanisms underpinning differences in autistic and non-autistic emotion recognition. The current study first investigated whether autistic and non-autistic adults differed in terms of the precision and/or differentiation of their visual emotion representations and their general matching abilities, and second, explored whether differences therein were related to challenges in accurately recognizing emotional expressions. To fulfil these aims, 45 autistic and 45 non-autistic individuals completed three tasks employing dynamic point light displays of emotional facial expressions. We identified that autistic individuals had more precise visual emotion representations than their non-autistic counterparts, however, this did not confer any benefit for their emotion recognition. Whilst for non-autistic people, non-verbal reasoning and the interaction between precision of emotion representations and matching ability predicted emotion recognition, no variables contributed to autistic emotion recognition. These findings raise the possibility that autistic individuals are less guided by their emotion representations, thus lending support to Bayesian accounts of autism.

Assessing the Potential of Robotics Technology for Enhancing Educational for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Robotics technology has been increasingly used as an educational and intervention tool for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there remain research issues and challenges that need to be addressed to fully realize the potential benefits of robot-assisted therapy. This systematic review categorizes and summarizes the literature related to robot educational/training interventions and provides a conceptual framework for collecting and classifying these articles. The challenges identified in this review are classified into four levels: robot-level, algorithm-level, experimental-research-level, and application-level challenges. The review highlights possible future research directions and offers crucial insights for researchers interested in using robots in therapy. The most relevant findings suggest that robot-assisted therapy has the potential to improve social interaction, communication, and emotional regulation skills in children with ASD. Addressing these challenges and seeking new research avenues will be critical to advancing the field of robot-assisted therapy and improving outcomes for children with ASD. This study serves as a roadmap for future research in this important area.

Social Humanoid Robots for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of Modalities, Indications, and Pitfalls

Robot-assisted therapy (RAT) is a promising area of translational neuroscience for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). It has been widely demonstrated that this kind of advanced technological tool provides a reliable and efficient intervention for promoting social skills and communication in children with ASD. This type of treatment consists of a human-assisted social robot acting as an intervention mediator to increase competence and skills in children with ASD. Several social robots have been validated in the literature; however, an explicit technical comparison among devices has never been performed. For this reason, in this article, we provide an overview of the main commercial humanoid robots employed for ASD children with an emphasis on indications for use, pitfalls to be avoided, and recent advances. We conclude that, in the near future, a new generation of devices with high levels of mobility, availability, safety, and acceptability should be designed for improving the complex triadic interaction among teachers, children, and robots.

Effectiveness of virtual reality and computerized training programs for enhancing emotion recognition in people with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties recognizing emotions. Studies showed that virtual reality (VR) and computerized training programs might be used as potential tools for enhancing emotion recognition in such people. However, some inconsistencies were observed between the studies. Objective: In the current systematic review and meta-analysis, the potential of computerized and VR training programs were evaluated for enhancing emotion recognition in people with ASD. Method: Using PRISMA guidelines and a PICO model, eligible studies were retrieved and the pooled effect size was calculated. Results: This meta-analysis obtained the pooled effect of Cohen's d = 0.69 (95% CI: [0.49, 0.89]) that showed the positive effect of VR and computerized training on emotion recognition in people with ASD. The effectiveness was confirmed for different types of study design, and for both children and adults, while it was larger for non-VR computerized programs compared with VR counterparts. Conclusion-Due to the small sample size of this study and the substantial heterogeneity between studies, the outcomes should be considered with caution in practice. However, these outcomes can be considered for optimizing suitable computerized applications or as the hypothesis for future studies.

Effects of Physical Exercise and Virtual Training on Visual Attention Levels in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study compared the effects of physical exercise (PE) and virtual training (VT) on the improvement of the visual attention mechanism in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). One hundred eighty-nine children with ASD were recruited from Orphan School in Liaoning Province, China. After screening, 100 children ultimately participated in the experiment. Children with ASD were randomly assigned to VT (VT, n = 34), PE (PE, n = 33) and control group (CG, n = 33). The VT group experiment was performed in a virtual environment through the game FIFA21 three times per week for 6 weeks. The PE group played physical football matches three times per week for 6 weeks. Children with ASD in the CG group did not receive VT or PE but only received psychological counseling. Visual attention of children with ASD is evaluated by using the multiple object tracking paradigm (MOT). After 6 weeks of observation, although none of the three groups saw improvements in the correct rate of ring tracking, the observations of the VT and PE groups were significant (p < 0.05) compared to the CG group in finding detection rate of probe stimulus. Through MOT tests, VT and PE improved the detection rate of probe stimulus in children with ASD. Therefore, this paper indicates that VT and PE can improve the visual attention ability of children with ASD.