Jan Gillesen

About

Jan Gillesen is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of robotics, applied behavior analysis, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) interventions. His primary research areas include human-robot interaction, social robotics for therapeutic applications, and end-user programming systems. Gillesen's most impactful contribution is demonstrating the effectiveness of robot-led ABA-based interventions in promoting self-initiated question-asking in school-aged children with ASD, a study that has garnered 140 citations and established a benchmark for robot-assisted social skill development. He further advanced the field by developing architectures that enable therapists—not just engineers—to program and customize robot behaviors for individual patient needs, a concept detailed in his 76-citation work on end-user programming. His 2011 study on tailoring robot scenarios for ASD training programs (47 citations) underscored the necessity of personalized robot behavior to match unique learning objectives. Additionally, Gillesen created the "WikiTherapist" platform, a collaborative tool empowering therapists to design and share robotic treatment protocols. Through these innovations, Gillesen has made social robotics more accessible and practical for clinical settings, significantly impacting how technology is integrated into behavioral therapies for individuals with ASD.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Promoting question-asking in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders: Effectiveness of a robot intervention compared to a human-trainer intervention

   140 citations · 2013
2. 2
   End-user programming architecture facilitates the uptake of robots in social therapies

   76 citations · 2012
3. 3
   From training to robot behavior: Towards custom scenarios for robotics in training programs for ASD

   47 citations · 2011
4. 4
   WikiTherapist

   10 citations · 2010

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links