Robot child interactions as an intervention tool for children with autism

机器人儿童互动作为自闭症儿童的干预工具

• 批准号: 8489508
• 负责人: Anjana Narayan Bhat
• 金额: $ 3.53万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-30 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8489508
• 关键词: 8 year old; Adult; Autistic Disorder; Behavior; Behavioral; Child; Child Language; Clinical; Cognitive; Communication; Communities; Complex; Control Groups; Data; Data Collection; Diagnosis; Environment; Equilibrium; Equipment and supply inventories; Florida; Frequencies; Gestures; Goals; Health; Hour; Incidence; Intervention; Literature; Mainstreaming; Manuals; Measures; Modeling; Morphology; Motor; Motor Skills; Movement; Nonverbal Communication; Performance; Phase; Pilot Projects; Posture; Process; Protocols documentation; Psychological Transfer; Research; Research Design; Research Personnel; Robot; Robotics; Social Interaction; Standardization; System; Systems Development; Techniques; Training; Treatment Protocols; Variant; autism spectrum disorder; base; design; improved; innovation; joint attention; limb movement; novel; peer; programs; response; skills; social; social communication; teacher; tool

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The rising incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) challenges researchers to develop novel intervention techniques for children with ASD. Nevertheless, the majority of the research on ASD interventions is focused on traditional and contemporary Applied Behavioral Analysis approaches that target a child's language, cognitive, and preacademic skills. These approaches typically require a child with ASD to engage in intensive 1:1 intervention for 30-40 hours per week. In contrast, administering robot child interactions as an intervention technique may be a significant innovation for various reasons. A robot could serve as an adjunct to a clinician to administer components of an assessment or treatment protocol with some level of standardization and may assist in the data collection process. The programmability of a robot allows us to systematically increase the complexity of social interactions within treatment. Evidence also suggests that children with ASD enjoy interacting with robots due to their simple and predictable behaviors. Most of all, robots are embodied beings that encourage a child with ASD to engage in whole body interactions involving imitation, turn taking, and joint attention bids. Aims: The overall goal of this research is to develop novel intervention techniques for children diagnosed with ASD. Specifically, the proposed project will examine the efficacy of robot child interactions for enhancing social, communication, and perceptuo-motor skills of children with high and low functioning ASD. Our preliminary data on typically developing (TD) children who underwent short-term training with a humanoid robot suggested that all children enjoyed interacting with the robot. The young children performed behaviors such as looking at the robot, greeting the robot, and talking to the robot. They also imitated the complex limb movements performed by the robot. In terms of non-verbal communication, they engaged in turn taking and joint attention behaviors with their teachers and peers. In the proposed project, we have two phases of study. In the first R21 phase we examine robot child interactions in three different projects: a) interactions of TD children between 4 and 8 years of age during short-term training, b) interactions of the same group during interpersonal synchrony tasks, c) Robotic systems development and d) a 5-week intervention for children with ASD using a single subject design. In the R33 phase, we conduct a group design study in which 12 children with ASD between 4 and 8 years of age will receive a 10-week robot child interaction protocol and be compared to a control group of children with ASD. Pre- and post-training assessments will include the PDD- Behavioral Inventory, Movement-ABC, and the Florida Apraxia Battery. We expect the children in the training group to demonstrate advances general social communication measures as well as specific improvements in imitation, nonverbal communication, as well as motor coordination during robot-child interactions. Overall, robot based social intervention is an uncharted, promising intervention tool for enhancing social, communication and motor skills in children with ASD.

描述（由申请人提供）：自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的发病率不断上升，挑战研究人员为ASD儿童开发新的干预技术。然而，大多数关于ASD干预的研究都集中在传统和当代的应用行为分析方法上，这些方法针对儿童的语言，认知和学前技能。这些方法通常需要ASD儿童每周进行30-40小时的强化1：1干预。相比之下，出于各种原因，管理机器人儿童交互作为干预技术可能是一项重大创新。机器人可以作为临床医生的辅助工具，以一定程度的标准化管理评估或治疗方案的组成部分，并可以协助数据收集过程。机器人的可编程性使我们能够系统地增加治疗中社会互动的复杂性。有证据表明，ASD儿童喜欢与机器人互动，因为他们的行为简单且可预测。最重要的是，机器人是具体的存在，鼓励自闭症儿童参与全身互动，包括模仿，轮流和联合注意力投标。目的：本研究的总体目标是为诊断为ASD的儿童开发新的干预技术。具体而言，拟议项目将研究 机器人儿童互动对增强患有高功能和低功能ASD的儿童的社交，沟通和感知运动技能的功效。我们对典型发育（TD）儿童的初步数据表明，所有儿童都喜欢与机器人互动。年幼的孩子们会做一些行为，比如看机器人，向机器人打招呼，和机器人说话。他们还模仿了机器人进行的复杂肢体运动。在非言语交流方面，他们与老师和同伴之间存在轮流和共同注意行为。在拟议的项目中，我们有两个阶段的研究。在第一个R21阶段，我们研究机器人儿童互动在三个不同的项目：a）互动的TD儿童4和8岁之间的短期培训期间，B）在人际同步任务的同一组的互动，c）机器人系统的发展和d）5周的干预ASD儿童使用单一的主题设计。在R33阶段，我们进行了一项分组设计研究，其中12名4至8岁的ASD儿童将接受为期10周的机器人儿童互动协议，并与ASD儿童对照组进行比较。培训前和培训后评估将包括PDD-行为量表、运动-ABC和佛罗里达失用症成套测验。我们希望训练组的儿童在机器人与儿童互动过程中表现出一般社会沟通措施的进步以及模仿，非语言沟通和运动协调的具体改善。总的来说，基于机器人的社会干预是一种未知的，有前途的干预工具，可用于增强ASD儿童的社交，沟通和运动技能。