Therapeutic Robot to Teach Social Skills to Primary School Children with ASD

项目概述/摘要：本项目是一项长期努力的一部分，旨在减轻自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的负担和残疾。大多数被诊断为ASD的成年人和青少年并没有智力低下，他们的语言能力也很突出，在很多情况下，他们的语言能力似乎是完好无损的。然而，这些人无法取得与其智力水平相符的职业成功，而且可能无法在家庭之外建立友谊和关系。该项目的具体目标是开发一种训练模拟，以提高这些人参与社交对话的能力。具备了基本的会话技能，自闭症患者可能会获得更多的互动机会，并提高他们关系的质量。申请人正在使用其最初开发的技术来创建专门社会互动的训练模拟（例如，为面试官检测士兵的自杀风险）。训练模拟是基于一个复杂的模型，模拟角色的情绪状态会随着对话的历史、用户最近的反应和一个偶然因素而变化。该模拟包括一个由专业演员表演的数百个视频片段组成的数据库，以及一组可供用户说话或通过鼠标点击选择的大量回答。该系统提供了帮助功能，对模拟角色的反应进行了直接的解释，并提供了响应选择的指导；屏幕上的教练提供明显的信号，以回应用户的反应选择的适当性；回放选项，以便用户可以回顾部分或全部交互；游戏功能：为成功加分，为提高分数欢呼，最终实现游戏目标，模拟角色同意与用户再次会面。模拟内容将由申请人熟练的脚本作者在天主教大学自闭症研究人员的输入下开发，然后在录制视频之前由三位ASD研究和临床专家以及一位自己患有ASD的先生进行审查。可用性现场测试将在目标人群中的10名成员中进行。代表他们使用模拟及其特征的数据将被自动记录下来，他们将回答一份汇报问卷。所指出的任何修改都将纳入为第二阶段供资提议的更广泛的模拟中。项目简介：该项目将改造一个治疗性玩具机器人CosmoBot，以吸引患有与自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）相关的严重社交迟缓的儿童参与活动，以促进社交技能的发展。这个玩具机器人将配备一套游戏程序，供治疗师选择。两个地区的治疗师将对10名患有这些障碍的小学生测试治疗玩具及其社交游戏，以评估该系统使用的容易程度，对儿童的吸引力，以及它是否对儿童的社交技能有积极影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary/Abstract: This project is part of a long-term effort to reduce the burdens and disability associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The majority of adults and adolescents who have an ASD diagnosis do not have mental retardation, and are notable for their language abilities, which in many cases appear intact. Nevertheless, these individuals fail to achieve vocational success consonant with their intellectual level, and may be unable to form friendships and relationships outside their family. The specific aim of the project is to develop a training simulation to improve these individuals' ability to participate in social conversation. Equipped with basic conversational skills, individuals with ASD may gain more opportunities to interact and improve the quality of their relationships. The applicant is using technology it originally developed to create training simulations for specialized social interactions (e.g., for an interviewer to detect suicide risk in a soldier). The training simulation is based on a complex model of the simulated character's shifting emotional state in response to the history of the conversation, the user's most recent response, and an element of chance. The simulation includes a database of hundreds of video clips performed by a professional actor, and a large set of responses available for the user to speak or select by mouse click. The system offers help features, with straightforward explanations of the simulated character's reactions, and guidance with response choice; an on-screen coach who provides overt signals in response to the appropriateness of the user's response choice; playback options, so that the user can review parts or all of an interaction; and game features: points for success and cheering for improved scores and ultimately achieving the game's objective, agreement of the simulated character to another meeting with the user. The simulation content will be developed by the applicant's skilled script-writers with input from an autism researcher from Catholic University, then reviewed prior to video by three research and clinical specialists in ASD and a gentleman who himself has ASD, prior to videotaping. Usability field-testing will be conducted with 10 members of the target population. Data representing their use of the simulation and its features will be automatically logged, and they will respond to a debriefing questionnaire. Any modifications indicated will be incorporated into the more extensive simulation to be proposed for Phase II funding. Project Narrative: This project will adapt a therapeutic toy robot, CosmoBot, in order to engage children with severe social delays associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in activities to promote development of social skills. The toy robot will be equipped with sets of game programs from which therapists can choose. Therapists in 2 locations will test the therapeutic toy and its social games with 10 primary-school-aged children who have these impairments, in order to evaluate how easy the system is to use, how much it appeals to the children, and whether it has positive effects on children's social skills.