No abstract

The present study contributes to the research problem of applying social robots in autism diagnosis. There is a common belief that existing diagnostic methods for autistic spectrum disorder are not effective. Advances in Human–Robot Interactions (HRI) provide potential new diagnostic methods based on interactive robots. We investigated deficits in turn-taking in preschool children by observing their interactions with the NAO robot during two games: (Dance with me vs. Touch me). We compared children’s interaction profiles with the robot (five autistic vs. five typically developing young children). Then, to investigate turn-taking deficits, we adopted a rating procedure to indicate differences between both groups of children based on an observational scale. A statistical analysis based on ratings of the children’s interactions with the NAO robot indicated that autistic children presented a deficient level of turn-taking behaviors. Our study provides evidence for the potential of designing and implementing an interactive dyadic game between a child and a social robot that can be used to detect turn-taking deficits based on objective measures. We also discuss our results in the context of existing studies and propose guidelines for a robotic-enabled autism diagnosis system.

W artykule został omówiony poziom kompetencji emocjonalno-społecznych dziecka z zespołem Downa (ZD) i z umiarkowaną niepełnosprawnością intelektualną w okresie edukacji wczesnoszkolnej w celu udzielenia odpowiedzi na pytanie, jak uczeń z ZD poradzi sobie w szkole ogólnodostępnej. Mierzone były te kompetencje, które dziecko rozwijające się prawidłowo nabywa około 5 roku życia. Badania zostały przeprowadzone wśród 30 dzieci z ZD w wieku 8–13 lat. Wyniki pokazały niski poziom kompetencji zarówno emocjonalnych, jak i społecznych. Badania zostały przeprowadzone na podstawie IKES-u (Inwentarz) autorstwa Joanny Kruk-Lasockiej i Agnieszki Szymajdy. Wprowadzeniem do artykułu jest teoretyczna analiza poglądów badaczy na temat specyfiki rozwoju dziecka z ZD w kontekście jego możliwości edukacji w szkole ogólnodostępnej.

Developmental disharmony is usually defi ned as adverse deviation from the normal development, regardless of reasons that cause it (Lagae, 2008). According to the APA, the problem concerns about 5 -10% of school-age children (APA, 2000).Th e symptoms of developmental disharmony are heterogeneous and their manifestation is determined by the age of the child. Th e sphere of motor development plays a dominant role in the presentation of these disorders in the case of small children. So researchers suggest a psychomotor diagnosis as the most desirable diagnosis in the case of developmental disharmony of a small child. One of the tools allowing for such a diagnosis is German test MOT 4 -6.Th e purpose of this article was to describe the validation procedure of the Polish version of the psychomotor MOT 4 -6 by R. Zimmer and M. Volkammer for four-year-old children. Th is age group, due to the lack of objective tools, is very rarely included in diagnostic procedures.Results: Th e validation of the Polish version of the MOT 4 -6 for four-year-old children indicates this tool as accurate and reliable in diagnosing delays in the psychomotor development of small children. Th e Polish adaptation of the test will help to fi ll the existing gap in Polish diagnostic tools for four-year-olds.