Robot-based therapy for improving academic skills of children with autism

Robots are being employed more as mediators between therapists and children with autism. This paper proposes a robot-based therapeutic method that uses the NAO robot, a developed mobile application called AutisPlay, a tablet, and a control laptop. The proposed method is implemented in therapeutic sessions at a local autism center. In this research, a study involving nine children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder is conducted. The researchers and autism therapists agreed on the targeted academic skills. The main goal of this work is to assess the use of robots and mobile applications in improving the academic skills of children with autism. The obtained experimental results are analyzed using statistical measures such as the percentage of correct responses, informal observations of students’ attention to the robot, reported academic progress, and enjoyment of the therapy sessions. Further, the therapeutic sessions are customized to each child's response to the robot and mobile application. The children showed different engagement levels and a variety of progress and achievements. The experimental results show three children acquired the indicating skills, while the remaining children show slow progress in their skill acquisition. Furthermore, seven students enjoyed the interaction with the NAO robot and AutisPlay mobile app during therapy sessions.