Literature review

Autism

Autism consists of developmental disorders in form of poor social skills in children and their lack of interest in interacting with people or other activities (Shire et. al 2015).  These children may not have communication abilities which are essential in interaction with other people and in quality life. The lack of communication is complicated by difficulties in showing and perceiving social clues and various emotions (Srinivasan et. al2016). Though the cause of this autism is not clearly defined, it may result from multi-factorial causes including the environment and genetics (Chien et. al 2015).

Social skills and Communication deficits forms a major aspect of Autism Spectrum Disorder and affects a person’s ability to fully participate in the community and more so the school environment (McIntyre et. al 2017). Emerging technologies are used to support educators in developing differentiated content for students with varying abilities (Vincent et. al 2015). The use of classroom based technology such as robots together with other conventional instructional practices can help educators especially of early childhood learners to offer access to various activities that support communication skills development (Sartorato, Przybylowski & Sarko, 2017).

Communication

 The person with this condition may rely on intervention treatment therapies that use various strategies and tools that will stimulate them to interact and hence, communicate with other people (Donehower, 2017).  Studies have shown that it is common for children with autism to perceive different stimuli like different type of sound even though majority of these studies largely focus on communication and social skills (Valadão et. al 2016).  Robots are used in stimulation of development of communication skills like tactile, verbal and imitation sensitivity.  The design of such robots involves various features that are useful in various social therapies since it can convey emotions, form a relationship with a person and even communicate socially (Shick, 2013).  The tool is therefore, a social robotic that teachers can use in classroom to help students with autism. As a social robot can have many positive effects for such students. This is because an autism patient many at times may perform better while interacting with a social robot partner as compared to a human agent. The Autism partners have been shown to have many social behaviors towards a given social robot while interacting with it, whereby during robotic sessions, the patients portray less repetitive and even stereotyped behaviors (Valadão et al. 2016). The social robots are also able to enhance spontaneous language while the autism patient is undergoing therapy sessions.

Romibo social robot

In classroom, the Romibo robot assists in improving the communication ability of autistic children through various ways. The robot has the ability to deliver prompts that are delightful and praise to engage the student, and it has instant play date which is important in modeling the communication process (Shick, 2013). The student is encouraged by the simple appearance and a behavior that is predictable which makes the student to feel safe. The notion of using a robot that is child-size and attractive to the teacher and student is positive since it may motivate the interaction of student with the robot (Santatiwongchai et. al 2016). A social robot also involves a balanced similarity between itself and human, so that it does not appear too human while at the same time, it is not too mechanical like hence making it attractive to the student (Hansbøl, 2015).  The interaction makes it possible for the robot to stimulate a student in a positive way in terms of communication skills since the robot may be used repetitively until the desired results on students is achieved (Donehower, 2017).  The student is also able to engage in more social activities, and such skills can be translated to interaction with his or her peers (Alimisis, 2009). The interaction is even more important in development of verbal communication in students with autism.

One research has shown verbal communication being exhibited by a specific child in the study in an occasional manner according to opinion of a third party involved in the robotic session. In the same study, children with autism are recorded to have responded to the commands of a mediator often, while an observation of non-verbal communication was also made such as pointing fingers, hands and even gestures. This goes a long way to show the effect of interaction between a student and social robot like Romibo on their communication skills. The robot therefore, acts as mediator during the interaction between the child – student- and the educator who is an adult and his peers (Snow, 2015). As an interactive tool, the Romibo robot can move using two wheels and it is light enough to be carried by even a child attending early education (Shick, 2013). With a simplified human-like face, and two computerized screen eyes, the robot can follow hold a gaze of a person and follow their face while blinking to prevent tension due to the stare (Origami Robotics, n.d). This allows for improved interaction that a teacher can use to enhance the language skills and since they have little overwhelming effect on the child, then imitation is easier. This shows the role of robot in enhancing communication skills between autistic students and teachers or peers.

References

Shire, S. Y., Goods, K., Shih, W., Distefano, C., Kaiser, A., Wright, C., ... & Kasari, C. (2015). Parents’ adoption of social communication intervention strategies: Families including children with autism spectrum disorder who are minimally verbal. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 45(6), 1712-1724.

 

McIntyre, N. S., Solari, E. J., Grimm, R. P., Lerro, L. E., Gonzales, J. E., & Mundy, P. C. (2017). A comprehensive examination of reading heterogeneity in students with high functioning Autism: Distinct reading profiles and their relation to Autism Symptom Severity. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 47(4), 1086-1101.

 

Chien, M. E., Jheng, C. M., Lin, N. M., Tang, H. H., Taele, P., Tseng, W. S., & Chen, M. Y. (2015). iCAN: A tablet-based pedagogical system for improving communication skills of children with autism. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 73, 79-90.

 

Sartorato, F., Przybylowski, L., & Sarko, D. K. (2017). Improving therapeutic outcomes in autism spectrum disorders: Enhancing social communication and sensory processing through the use of interactive robots. Journal Of Psychiatric Research, 901-11. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2017.02.004

 

Shamsuddin, S., Yussof, H., Ismail, L. I., Mohamed, S., Hanapiah, F. A., & Zahari, N. I. (2012). Humanoid Robot NAO Interacting with Autistic Children of Moderately Impaired Intelligence to Augment Communication Skills. Procedia Engineering, 41(International Symposium on Robotics and Intelligent Sensors 2012 (IRIS 2012), 1533-1538. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2012.07.346

 

 

Shick, A. (2013). Romibo robot project: an open-source effort to develop a low-cost sensory adaptable robot for special needs therapy and education. In ACM SIGGRAPH 2013 Studio Talks (p. 16). ACM.

 

Srinivasan, S. M., Eigsti, I. M., Gifford, T., & Bhat, A. N. (2016). The effects of embodied rhythm and robotic interventions on the spontaneous and responsive verbal communication skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A further outcome of a pilot randomized controlled trial. Research in autism spectrum disorders, 27, 73-87.

 

 

Valadão, C. T., Goulart, C., Rivera, H., Caldeira, E., Bastos Filho, T. F., Frizera-Neto, A., & Carelli, R. (2016). Analysis of the use of a robot to improve social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder. Research on Biomedical Engineering, 32(2), 161-175.

 

Santatiwongchai, S., Kaewkamnerdpong, B., Jutharee, W., & Ounjai, K. (2016). BLISS: Using Robot in Learning Intervention to Promote Social Skills for Autism Therapy. In Proceedings of the international Convention on Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology (p. 16). Singapore Therapeutic, Assistive & Rehabilitative Technologies (START) Centre.

 

Hansbøl, M., (2015). Tema 2: Robot technologies, autism and designs for learning. Tidsskriftet Læring og Medier (LOM), 8(14).

 

Donehower, C. (2017). An Analysis of Robot-Assisted Social-Communication Instruction for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Retrieved from: http://etd.fcla.edu/CF/CFE0006736/Donehower_Dissertation_FinalSubmission.pdf

 

Alimisis, D. (2009). Teacher education on robotics-enhanced constructivist pedagogical methods. School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE).

 

Snow, C. C. (2015). Creativity and the Autistic Student : Supporting Strengths to Develop Skills and Deepen Knowledge. New York: Teachers College Press.

 

Vincent, J., Taipale, S., Sapio, B., Lugano, G., & Fortunati, L. (2015). Social Robots From a Human Perspective. Cham: Springer.

 

Origami Robotics, (n.d).Romibo: A socially assistive robot that engages and encourages young learners. Retrieved from: https://www.origamirobotics.com/