Harry H. Wright 1 / 26

Transcription

1 Harry H. Wright 1 / 26

2 The Robot Prototype: CHARLIE CHILD-CENTERED ADAPTIVE ROBOT for LEARNING in INTERACTIVE ENVIRONMENTS Robots as a New Tool for Autism Therapy CHARLIE: A New Robot Prototype Software Hardware Pragmatic/Expressive Language Goals Field Test Protocol Design Methodology (original, revised) Videos 2 / 26

3 Robots in the Domain A fairly exhaustive list of robots used to assist in autism research: Bobus, CPAC CHARLIE, Diskcat FACE (Facial Automation for Conveying Emotions) HOAP-2, Infanoid IROMEC (Interactive Robotic Social Mediators as Companions), Jumbo, KASPAR Keepon, Kismet Labo-I, Lego Mindstorm NTX Maestro NAO Paro, Pekee Roball (QueBall), Robota Sphero, Tito TREVOR (Triadic Relationship EVOking Robot), Troy 3 / 26

4 Typical Goals for Using Robots Eliciting Target Behaviors Increase imitation, turn-taking Increase number of verbal utterances Increase amount of child-led interactions Increase triadic interactions Improve joint attention Improve eye contact Improve emotion recognition and expression Encourage, enhance symbolic play 4 / 26

5 Role of Robots Robots can assume different roles for different children Friendly playmate Behavior eliciting agent Social mediator, social actor What makes robots so special? Robots are less complex than humans Robots make simplified, embodied interactions possible (unlike screens) Robots tend to be less intimidating and customizable Content from: Why Robots? A Survey on the Roles and Benefits of Social Robots in the Therapy of Children with Autism, John-John Cabibihan Hifza Javed Marcelo Ang Jr. Sharifah Mariam Aljunied 5 / 26

6 Mastering Language Phonology: the sound system Morphology: forming words from sounds Syntax: grammar (sentences from words) Semantics: meaning Pragmatics: verbal and nonverbal context-appropriate use 6 / 26

7 Early Emerging Features of Autism Atypical Eye Contact Lack of Joint Attention Delayed early communication behaviors Deficits in symbolic play Deficits in imitation abilities Lack of interest in other children Not responsive to name 7 / 26

8 Impact of Deficits Associated with Autism Joint attention correlated with vocabulary Imitation of gestures correlated with language comprehension Lack of imitation correlated with impairment in social understanding Symbolic play is linked to mastery of early cognitive skills 8 / 26

9 More Than Words The child will learn to communicate when they: 1. Pay attention to you 2. Finds enjoyment in two-way communication 3. Copies the things you do and say 4. Understands what others say 5. Interacts with other people 6. Has fun! 7. Practices what he/she learns often 8. Has structure, repetition and predictability in his/her life Sussman, Fern.(1999).More than words. Toronto, Canada: The Hanen Centre. 9 / 26

10 CHARLIE: A Simple, Low-Cost Robot Prototype Autonomous, interactive robot that promotes communication and social interaction and is widely accessible Play music, include imitation through hand play Encourage speech with the robot, generalize to co-present others Promote imitation and turn-taking through gameplay with robot, remote control, and others (family) 1 / 26 0

11 Hardware Current prototype: estimated total build cost $250 USD 1 / 26 1

12 Field Test Objectives Existing research is primarily anecdotal, qualitative results Utility of low-cost robots for autism therapy is not well studied Collecting quantifiable results, using a highly accessible are valuable for exploring translational robot use Explore and identify the robot-assisted methodolog(ies) which are effective for promoting communication in children with ASD 1 / 26 2

13 Protocol Design Pre-experiment Procedures Confirm age (3-6 years) Confirm autism diagnosis (ADOS, MCHAT) Confirm speech impairment Administer: Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT) Motor Imitation Scale (MIS), Unstructured Imitation Assessment (UIA) Mean Length Spontaneous Utterance Determination (MLSUD) Experiment Procedure Engage child in 12 sessions of therapy Post-experiment Procedures Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT) Motor Imitation Scale (MIS), Unstructured Imitation Assessment (UIA) Mean Length Utterances (MLU) 1 / 26 3

14 Initial Experiment Methodology Study Methods - Robot: Performs appropriate hand motions to music Initiates single-player imitation game Tele-operated with remote 1 / 26 4

15 What we discovered Lessons learned: Robot and music do gain attention of children in study Imitation games without robot reaction do not sustain attention Pragmatic/expressive language promoted when robot reacts! Begin with simple games (below developmental level) they can master 1 / 26 5

16 Revised Experiment Methodology Improved Approach: Music play with the robot is used to gain child s attention Simple game of peek-a-boo, generalized Remote control, combined with group imitation is effective Hat game, requiring vocalized questions, is very effective Case Study Illustration 1 / 26 6

17 Results Children with CHARLIE (within-subject) 1 / 26 7

18 Results Children with CHARLIE (within-subject) 1 / 26 8

19 Results Children with CHARLIE (within-subject) 1 / 26 9

20 Results T-test statistical analyses Criteria to be met or exceeded: t crit 2.36, p < of 9 tests show mean improvements that are statistically significant Statistically significant mean increases demonstrated in: - VABS-II (Socialization Domain) - VABS-II (Expressive+Receptive Communication V-Scale) - MLSUD - UIA Socialization Domain - UIA Requesting Domain - UIA Joint Attention Domain Improvements were not shown to be statistically significant in: - VABS-II (Communication Domain) - EVT2 - MIS 2 / 26 0

21 Results T-test statistical analyses Outcomes comparison (between-subject) Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale - Expressive Language Scale 2 / 26 1

22 Results T-test statistical analyses Outcomes comparison (between-subject) Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale - Interpersonal Scale Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale - Coping Scale 2 / 26 2

23 Results T-test statistical analyses Outcomes comparison (between-subject) Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale Play and Leisure Scale Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale Receptive Language Scale 2 / 26 3

24 Study Limitations Relatively small number of study participants The EVT may not have been the best choice for this study (more comprehensive language test) Between-group results may have been affected by parent involvement in the study groups with CHARLIE 2 / 26 4

25 Conclusions Robots can be effective catalysts for pragmatic/expressive language Semi-autonomous (partly human-driven, partly automatic) is preferable Children with autism can learn to generalize learned behaviors from robot-child interactions to human-human interactions Imitation and turn-taking when complemented with a fun reward is effective for promoting pragmatic/expressive language 2 / 26 5

26 Acknowledgements - Dr. Ruth K. Abramson, Dr. Alicia V. Hall and Dr. Harry Wright from the Department of Neuropsychiatry in the USC School of Medicine - The South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council Laura Boccanfuso (laura.boccanfuso@yale.edu) (Now at Yale University) Sarah C. Scarborough (scarbosc@mailbox.sc.edu) Alicia V. Hall (ahall@ddsn.sc.edu) Ruth K. Abramson (ruth.abramson@uscmed.sc.edu) 2 / 26 6