Paper

Robotic Tool to Improve Skills in Children with ASD: A Preliminary Study


Authors:
Sara Silva; Fátima Moreira; Filomena Soares; Ana Paula Pereira; Sandra Costa
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may present some difficulties in developing social behaviours, communicating with others and acquiring cognitive skills. In this study, we test the introduction of a robot Lego Mindstorms NXT as a mediator and/or positive reinforcement in the intervention of children with ASD in triadic interventions. The goal was to improve their academic skills and to transfer the acquired skills to their daily lives. Three case studies with 8-13 years old children are presented and discussed. The explored target skills were the concept of quantity, colour awareness and a gesture to make a request. Parents had an active participatory role in this study, especially in the Skill Transfer Phase.
Keywords
Autism Spectrum Disorders; Assistive Robotics; Social Interaction; Lego Mindstorms NXT
StartPage
162
EndPage
172
Doi
10.5963/LSMR0304004
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