Participation and Enjoyment in Play with a Robot between Children with Cerebral Palsy who use AAC and their Peers.
This study explores children with complex communication needs, their peers and adult support persons in play with the talking and moving robot LekBot. Two triads were filmed playing with LekBot at pre-school. LekBot was developed to facilitate independent and enjoyable play on equal terms for children with significant communication disabilities and their peers. Using Conversation Analysis, participatory symmetry and enjoyment were investigated in relation to spoken and gestural communication, embodied stance, gaze, and affective display. Data originated from three video-recorded sessions that were approximately 2 hours long. Four different interaction situations were identified and explored: Participatory Asymmetry, Adult Facilitation, Greater Participatory Symmetry and Creativity, and Turn-taking and Enjoyable Play with LekBot. Neither participatory symmetry nor enjoyment were easily achieved in the play sessions and may require considerable effort, including adult involvement, but creative, spontaneous and highly enjoyable play, correlating with participatory symmetry to various degrees, was observed in a few instances. The findings are discussed with regard to play, AAC and the future development of robots to facilitate play.
DART Centre for AAC and AT, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Sahlgrenska University Hospital , Gothenburg , Sweden.
Ulrika M
UM
Ferm
Britt K
BK
Claesson
Cajsa
C
Ottesjö
Stina
S
Ericsson
D000328:Adult; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010379:Peer Group; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012371:Robotics; D058992:Social Participation
Augmentative and alternative communication; Cerebral palsy; Children; Complex communication needs; Enjoyment; Participation; Peers; Play; Robotics