Educators applying robot therapy to children with autism

By Staff Writer

Professors at an Indiana-based university are studying the effects of robot therapy in the treatment of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

According to The Obsever, researchers are incorporating robot technology at the school's psychology department. From a room protected by a one-way mirror, a puppeteer controls the robot's behavior while interacting with an autistic child. Two robots, named Brian and Kelly, are being used as part of the study.

Kelly can cheer a touchdown, dance to Michael Jackson songs and play Simon Says.

"The initial idea was that the robot would be an interaction partner who the child could practice carrying on or initiating a conversation with," one of the professors told the news provider. "But there are so many other roles that the robot can take. It can provide encouragement, or it can play different games and work on imitation skills."

The robots are designed to give children positive reinforcement when they practice a behavior correctly. The machines can also encourage a child to perform a specific task by performing similar movements. For example, the news source reports that one of the robots can mime the act of swimming.

An average of one in 110 children in the U.S. have an ASD, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.