title: Can Robotic Interaction Improve Joint Attention Skills?
abstract: Although it has often been argued that clinical applications of advanced technology may hold promise for addressing impairments associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), relatively few investigations have indexed the impact of intervention and feedback approaches. This pilot study investigated the application of a novel robotic interaction system capable of administering and adjusting joint attention prompts to a small group (n = 6) of children with ASD. Across a series of four sessions, children improved in their ability to orient to prompts administered by the robotic system and continued to display strong attention toward the humanoid robot over time. The results highlight both potential benefits of robotic systems for directed intervention approaches as well as potent limitations of existing humanoid robotic platforms.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Special Education, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. zachary.warren@vanderbilt.edu.|Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Vanderbilt University, PMB 74, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA. zachary.warren@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Zachary E
authors.initials: ZE
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Vanderbilt University, PMB 74, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA.
authors.forename: Amy R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Esubalew
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bekele
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Lian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Crittendon
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Amy F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Weitlauf
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Nilanjan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sarkar
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012371:Robotics
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Joint attention; Robotics; Technology