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. 2015 Nov;45(11):3726-34.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1918-4.

Can Robotic Interaction Improve Joint Attention Skills?

Zachary E Warren  1   2 , Zhi Zheng  3 , Amy R Swanson  4 , Esubalew Bekele  3 , Lian Zhang  3 , Julie A Crittendon  5 , Amy F Weitlauf  6 , Nilanjan Sarkar  7
Affiliations

Can Robotic Interaction Improve Joint Attention Skills?

Zachary E Warren et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2015 Nov.

Abstract

Although it has often been argued that clinical applications of advanced technology may hold promise for addressing impairments associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), relatively few investigations have indexed the impact of intervention and feedback approaches. This pilot study investigated the application of a novel robotic interaction system capable of administering and adjusting joint attention prompts to a small group (n = 6) of children with ASD. Across a series of four sessions, children improved in their ability to orient to prompts administered by the robotic system and continued to display strong attention toward the humanoid robot over time. The results highlight both potential benefits of robotic systems for directed intervention approaches as well as potent limitations of existing humanoid robotic platforms.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Joint attention; Robotics; Technology.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Humanoid robot
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Apparatus and room arrangement
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Average prompt level of target hits across sessions
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Average participant prompt level for target hit
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Target hits on initial prompt (prompt 1) and prior to target activation (prompts 1–4)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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