Clinical Interventions of Social Humanoid Robots in the Treatment of a Set of High- and Low-Functioning Autistic Iranian Twins

Abstract

In this paper, the robot-assisted interventions for a pair of fraternal twins with autism, one of whom is high-functioning and the other low-functioning is presented. Since many genetic and environmental factors were the same for both participants, the effect of individual and group robotic games on these two children with high- and low-functioning autism were compared. The results indicated improvement in joint attention skills for both subjects. It was further observed that robot group games had the potential to improve social skills in the subject with high-functioning autism; and lower the amount of stereotyped and detrimental behaviors in the participant with low-functioning autism. Both participant’s communication with each other improved, and their mother claimed she observed her children playing a meaningful game together at home for the first time since their birth.