A Socially Assistive Robot Therapy for Pedagogical Rehabilitation of Autistic Learners

Abstract

A quickly growing subfield of social robotics and human-robot interaction research is robotic systems for individuals with autism, particularly learners. Recently, researchers are increasingly interested in the potential of social robots in the education for learners with autism spectrum disorders. They have complex needs, possibly with additional intellectual disabilities and/or limited oral communication, requiring much more assistance from specialized teachers and paramedical aides than regular schools can usually provide. In this context, our research focuses on robot-assisted therapy and introduces a humanoid social robot in inclusive education. This is achieved by analyzing many aspects of an Autistic behavior, such as verbal interactions, gestures and facial expressions, etc. Therefore, a robot can reproduce consistent experiences and actions for learners with limited communication skills. This is realized by applying a new approach based on the selection of the appropriate therapy. This research is a preliminary study towards the development of a humanoid robot that will assist therapists in recommending a set of therapies using a matrix of correspondence between screening tests and therapies, and in assisting and supervising autistic learners by performing the tasks that are necessary to accomplish prescribed therapies.