Norjasween Abdul Malik

Study on Social Interaction between Children with Autism and Humanoid Robot NAO

Autism cannot run away from their triangle deficits: social, communication and stereotyped behaviour. There is no cure for autism or any definitive treatment to treat the core symptoms of this developmental disorder. However, the deficits can be minimized by maximize their learning through behavioural therapy and educational intervention. Nowadays, the methods in the rehabilitation of autism have been upgraded by the innovation of humanoid robots, in particular the humanoid robot NAO. In this study, NAO has being programmed using Choregraphe as programming tool to develop lesson modules for children with autism to practice their social interaction skill. This paper focuses specifically on social interaction subscale to observe the behaviour of the autistic children during interaction with the humanoid robot NAO. The observation is based on six items referenced from the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-second edition (GARS-2). The use of humanoid robot NAO in the rehabilitation of autistic children is expected to help them to interact and practice their social traits just like normal children. The results evidently showed that children with autism are positively affected by NAO by giving encouraging responses in social interaction when interacting with the robot. Two-way communication between the child and robot in real time significantly give positive impact in the responses towards the robot.

Robots as Adjunct Therapy: Reflections and Suggestions in Rehabilitation for People with Cognitive Impairments

The expanding function of robots in rehabilitation has allowed for new intervention methods that are accurate, motivating and repetitive. By analyzing current state-of-the-art evidences, this paper proposes considerable necessities for robots to take part in the rehabilitation environments. Suggestions focus specifically on intervention for people affected by autism, Cerebral Palsy (CP) and dementia. Overall, a robot in human shape present advantages over other types of robots in autism and CP therapy context as it is physically suitable in imitation-based therapy. However, for elderly people affected with dementia, so far only robots in animal shape have been utilized in therapy and succeed to improve their mental functions.

Feasibility of using a humanoid robot to elicit communicational response in children with mild autism

Research evidences are accumulating with regards to the potential use of robots for the rehabilitation of children with autism. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the results of communicational response in two children with autism during interaction with the humanoid robot NAO. Both autistic subjects in this study have been diagnosed with mild autism. Following the outcome from our first pilot study; the aim of this current experiment is to explore the application of NAO robot to engage with a child and further teach about emotions through a game-centered and song-based approach. The experiment procedure involved interaction between humanoid robot NAO with each child through a series of four different modules. The observation items are based on ten items selected and referenced to GARS-2 (Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-second edition) and also input from clinicians and therapists. The results clearly indicated that both of the children showed optimistic response through the interaction. Negative responses such as feeling scared or shying away from the robot were not detected. Two-way communication between the child and robot in real time significantly gives positive impact in the responses towards the robot. To conclude, it is feasible to include robot-based interaction specifically to elicit communicational response as a part of the rehabilitation intervention of children with autism.

Emergence of Socially Assistive Robotics in Rehabilitation for Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Review

Robotic assistive technology is today widely used in rehabilitation. Social assistive robotics (SAR) is one of the developing areas of research with potential advantages for areas involving elderly care, people with cognitive impairment, rehabilitation for people with physical disabilities and for educational purposes. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common neurological disorder among children that impairs motor function and may involve cognitive function. The use of social assistive robotic technology serves as a potential approach for CP rehabilitation. The objective of this paper is to review published articles regarding SAR in rehabilitation for children with CP. Twelve published studies have been identified and will be discussed in this review paper.

Interactive behavior design in humanoid robot towards joint attention of children with cerebral palsy with human therapists

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a lifelong physical disorder of movement and posture, at times associated with other medical and cognitive impairment including joint attention. Nowadays, advancement of robotic technology promises potential application to CP rehabilitation. Previous study resulted that robotic technology has successfully elicited interest and joint attention in young children. This study proposes the development and application of a human-robot interaction method for facilitating joint attention skills in rehabilitation for children with CP. This paper proposes a method of using a humanoid robot to initiate joint attention between therapist and/or parents and the child in therapy session. Four interactive scenarios have been designed in the human-robot interaction. Clinical experiment with children with CP will be conducted in the near future.

Robot-Assisted to Elicit Behaviors for Autism Screening

Early screening and diagnosis of Autism spectrums is essential to determine the best means of early intervention program. Since there is no sign in biological for autism, screening and assessment must focus on the behavioral deficits. Somehow screening is not a diagnosis, but a filter that picks out children for subsequent assessment. The aim of this paper is to propose and to ignite discussion concerning robotic assisted in autism screening process to enable early diagnosis and intervention. This process combines (a) selection of an autism screening tool (b) refinement of screening subscales and (c) integration of subscales with robot action. We use Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-2 (GARS-2) inversely integrated with humanoid robot Nao to produce a counter action to elicit individual behaviours for screening and diagnosis purposes. In extracting of GARS-2, we had considered the limitation and sensitivity when a robot tries to assist in the process of screening and diagnosis. Integrating robotics into innovative treatments however highlighted the need for additional rigorous empirical studies with quantitative measurement.

Potential use of Social Assistive Robot based rehabilitation for children with Cerebral Palsy

Socially Assistive Robotics (SAR) is an emerging field of research focused on assisting people through social interaction. Nowadays, attention has been paid on socially assistive robots that mediate communication and social exchange, especially for people with disabilities. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common neurological disorder among children that impairs motor function and may involve cognitive dysfunction. The use of social assistive robotic technology has created potential approach in CP rehabilitation. The objective of this paper is to compare the study methodology three published articles regarding the SAR in rehabilitation for children with CP and to study the feasibility of using SAR to improve physical and cognitive function of children with CP. This paper also includes methodology description of our current study that has been done to fulfil the research gap found from the previous studies.