Exploring Emotion Classification for Children with Autism in Response to Robot Movement: A Preliminary Case Study in Malaysia

Children with autism struggle to comprehend and express their emotions, leading to misinterpretation and distress. Technology, particularly robots, holds promise for helping children with autism understand and communicate their emotions. However, there is limited research on emotional identification in children with autism during interactions with robots. This study aims to fill that gap by identifying emotional responses and proposing a emotion classification for children with autism during robot movement interactions. Observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data, using seven specific robot movements. Then, KJ Method was utilized to develop the classification. The result includes emotional response keywords and its classification for emotional responses in children with autism during robot movement interactions. While these findings are preliminary, the reference classification provides valuable insights into interpreting emotional responses in children with autism and can serve as a helpful guide for integrating robots into their daily activities.