Stakeholders Acceptance and Expectations of Robot-Assisted Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Robot assisted therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) should take into account the stakeholders expectations about their potential benefits. Any disparity between the stakeholders expectations and the gained benefits may negatively impact the acceptance and adoption of the robot assisted therapy. In this research, we conducted an observational study with eleven parents and five clinical professionals related with the children with ASD who were preselected to undergo robot assisted therapeutic sessions. The aim was to investigate and identify the potential impact regarding the interventions delivered by the social robots during the interventions, roles of the social robots and benefit offered by them. Specifically, the social robot Cozmo was used for this study. Their opinions were collected using questionnaires and were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.The results of the study confirm a positive attitude towards the adoption of these technologies, both among the caregivers and the professionals.