Dataset Information

Collaborative Research Project: Developing and Testing a Robot-Assisted Intervention for Children With Autism.

ABSTRACT: The present work is a collaborative research aimed at testing the effectiveness of the robot-assisted intervention administered in real clinical settings by real educators. Social robots dedicated to assisting persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are rarely used in clinics. In a collaborative effort to bridge the gap between innovation in research and clinical practice, a team of engineers, clinicians and researchers working in the field of psychology developed and tested a robot-assisted educational intervention for children with low-functioning ASD (N = 20) A total of 14 lessons targeting requesting and turn-taking were elaborated, based on the Pivotal Training Method and principles of Applied Analysis of Behavior. Results showed that sensory rewards provided by the robot elicited more positive reactions than verbal praises from humans. The robot was of greatest benefit to children with a low level of disability. The educators were quite enthusiastic about children's progress in learning basic psychosocial skills from interactions with the robot. The robot nonetheless failed to act as a social mediator, as more prosocial behaviors were observed in the control condition, where instead of interacting with the robot children played with a ball. We discuss how to program robots to the distinct needs of individuals with ASD, how to harness robots' likability in order to enhance social skill learning, and how to arrive at a consensus about the standards of excellence that need to be met in interdisciplinary co-creation research. Our intuition is that robotic assistance, obviously judged as to be positive by educators, may contribute to the dissemination of innovative evidence-based practice for individuals with ASD.

SUBMITTER: Kostrubiec V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7805640 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Collaborative Research Project: Developing and Testing a Robot-Assisted Intervention for Children With Autism.

Kostrubiec Viviane V Kruck Jeanne J

Frontiers in robotics and AI 20200331

The present work is a collaborative research aimed at testing the effectiveness of the robot-assisted intervention administered in real clinical settings by real educators. Social robots dedicated to assisting persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are rarely used in clinics. In a collaborative effort to bridge the gap between innovation in research and clinical practice, a team of engineers, clinicians and researchers working in the field of psychology developed and tested a robot-assisted ...[more]

PMID: 33501205

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Project description:Objective:The study examined the efficacy of an interprofessional information and historical literacy project implemented by an occupational therapy educator and a librarian. Methods:A graduate course was revised to include information and historical literacy objectives and instruction. A course-specific questionnaire administered on the first and last day of class, assignment grades, and course evaluations provided measures of project outcomes for six years. Differences between questionnaire pre- and post-test means were determined using t-tests. Course evaluation comments were analyzed to obtain qualitative perceptions. Results:A significant difference (p<0.0001) was found between pre-test (M=3.93, SD=0.48) and post-test (M=4.67, SD=0.30) scores of total information and historical literacy competence across all years (n=242). Responses to individual items also differed significantly (p<0.0001). Student ratings (n=189) from the course evaluation historical literacy objectives were high (M=4.6 on a 5-point scale). Assignment quality and grades improved, and course evaluation comments reflected student satisfaction. Conclusions:The findings supported the hypothesis that students' self-reported information and historical literacy competencies would increase after project participation. Acquired skills were evident in students' assignments. Research to determine if these capabilities were used post-graduation is needed. Because this was a course-specific project, findings are not generalizable; however, the instructional methods developed for this project can serve as a model for effective interprofessional collaboration. The broadening of information literacy instruction to include discipline-specific historical literacy provides a unique opportunity for health sciences librarians and educators. Developing students' historical literacy in their chosen fields can help them understand their profession's present status and be informed participants in shaping its future.

Dataset Information

Collaborative Research Project: Developing and Testing a Robot-Assisted Intervention for Children With Autism.

Publications

Collaborative Research Project: Developing and Testing a Robot-Assisted Intervention for Children With Autism.

Similar Datasets

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