Playful Interaction with Humanoid Robots for Social Development in Autistic Children: a Pilot Study

Children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have serious difficulties in the development of their communicative and social skills. In recent years, robots have been tested in the therapy of autistic children as a promising tool for increasing their interest and motivation in the activities. In this paper we present the results of a pilot study with playful robot-child interaction developed for the therapy of diagnosed children aged between 3 and 5. The children were separated into an intervention and a control group. Their progress in development was measured before and after the intervention. Although the experience was unanimously considered as positive by parents and caregivers, we have found no significative differences between the intervention and control groups. Some observed trends demand more caution and additional studies for identifying not only the advantages but also the possible pitfalls of the use of robots in the therapy of autistic children.