Toward Therapist-in-the-Loop Assistive Robotics for Children with Autism and Specific Language Impairment

Abstract

Abstract. In this paper we summarize some of the current work in the field of robot-based therapy for children with autism, and explore new directions that emphasize the important role of the therapist in achieving clinical benefit for these children and children with specific language impairment (SLI). Our ongoing and future research related to robot-based imitation therapy, design of therapist interfaces, and development of therapy robots is described. The overarching assumption in each of these research thrusts is that clinical benefits to children with autism and SLI are best achieved through triadic interactions between the child, the therapist, and the robot facilitator. consider how assistive robotics can benefit children on a spectrum of abilities, from low-functioning children with autism to higher-functioning children with SLI. The purpose of this abstract is to summarize general trends in robot-assisted interactions with children with autism, and outline a research agenda for developing effective therapies for helping not only those children but also children with SLI. We are interested in using robots to help children with SLI, although there appears to be no work on using robots to help this portion of the population even though the number of children with SLI is much larger than the number of children with autism [27]. 1