Facilitating Social Play for Children with PDDs: Effects of Paired Robotic Devices

Abstract

Interacting with toys and other people is fundamental for developing social communication skills. However, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are characterized by having a significant impairment in social interaction, which often leads to deficits in play skills. For this reason, methods of teaching play skills to young children with ASD have been well documented. Although previous studies have examined a variety of instructional strategies for teaching skills, few studies have evaluated the potential of using robotic devices. The purpose of the present study is to examine whether automatic feedback provided by colored lights and vibration via paired robotic devices, COLOLO, facilitates social play behaviors in children with ASD. We also explore how social play relates to social interaction. COLOLO is a system of paired spherical devices covered with soft fabric. All participants in this study were recruited as volunteers through the Department of Psychology at Keio University. The pilot study included three participants diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs; 5- to 6-year-old boys), and compared experimental conditions with and without automatic feedback from the devices (colored lights and vibration). The results indicated that the participants in the condition that included feedback from the devices exhibited increased rates of ball contact and looking at the therapist’s ball, but did not exhibit increased rates of eye contact or positive affect. In the experimental study, a systematic replication of the pilot study was performed with three other participants diagnosed with PDDs (3- to 6-year-old boys), using an A-B-A-B design. Again, the results demonstrated that, in the condition with colored lights and vibration, the children increased ball contact as well as looking at the therapist’s ball. However, the results did not show the effect of automatic feedback consistently for three children. These findings are discussed in terms of the potential of paired robotic devices as a method to facilitate social play for children with ASD.

La Robótica Como Herramienta Didáctica Para Personas Con Desórdenes en El Espectro Del Autismo: Una Revisión Sistemática

“…On the contrary, this phenomenon does not occur in people who are within the autistic spectrum. Unlike children with typical development, children with ASD are often more involved with their thoughts and feelings than with other people (Carrasco, Alarcón & Trianes, 2018;Charman, 2003;Matsuda, Nunez, Hirokawa, Yamamoto & Suzuki, 2017).…”

“…This ability allows us to cooperate and socialize with others. Interacting with other children during childhood is fundamental to developing the social and language skills we need in adulthood (Matsuda et al, 2017).…”

“…Because of this, the development of pivotal abilities produces generalized behavioral improvements in children (Charman, 2003;Weiss and Harris, 2016). Charman, 2003;Nowell et al 2018;Matsuda et al, 2017 We can conclude that by developing these essential or key skills, we will naturally improve all others, thus working on a generalized development of the quality of life of the person with ASD and facilitating their daily routines.…”

Effect of Sensory Feedback on Turn-Taking Using Paired Devices for Children with ASD

“…In our previous study, the effect of the intervention with COLOLO on children's play and social behavior has already been investigated using a psychological approach [37]. We compared the effect of COLOLO's visual feedback condition against no-feedback condition and found that visual feedback was related with an increased number of contact with toys and an increased number of gaze shifting toward the therapist's toy.…”

“…To facilitate the number of turn-taking instances during the sessions with COLOLO, both increasing the number of successful attempts of turn-taking and reducing the failed attempts are important aspects. We hypothesized that more colored-lights feedback would elicit more manipulation (H1) based on the insights from our previous study [37]. However, in the sessions with one-sided lighting, the participants manipulated the device as much as they did during the sessions with two-sided lighting.…”