Comparing the effectiveness of robot-based to human-based intervention in improving joint attention in autistic children.

Background: Children with autism have impairments in initiation of joint attention (IJA) and response to joint attention (RJA).

Aims: The present study compared the learning effectiveness of robot-based intervention (RBI) with that of content-matched human-based intervention (HBI) in improving joint attention (JA). We examined whether RBI would enhance RJA, in comparison to HBI.

Gesture Development in Chinese-Speaking Preschool Children With Autism and the Roles of Parental Input and Child-Based Factors.

Purpose: Children with autism are found to have delayed and heterogeneous gesture abilities. It is important to understand the growth of gesture abilities and the underlying factors affecting its growth. Addressing these issues can help to design effective intervention programs.

Conversation Skills in Chinese-Speaking Preschoolers with Autism: The Contributing Role of Parents' Verbal Responsiveness.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have conversation deficits, yet the growth of conversation abilities is understudied, especially in Chinese-speaking populations. Little is known about whether their parents' verbal responsiveness and redirectives are related to their conversation skills. Children with ASD (N = 37; M = 5;5) and their parents contributed their language samples.

Robot dramas may improve joint attention of Chinese-speaking low-functioning children with autism: stepped wedge trials.

Introduction: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), especially those with low cognitive functioning, have deficits in joint attention. Previous research has found that these children are interested in engaging with social robots.

Purpose: In the present study, we designed a robot drama intervention for promoting responses to joint attention abilities (RJA) of children with low-functioning autism (IQs < 70).

Robot-based play-drama intervention may improve the narrative abilities of Chinese-speaking preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits in their narrative skills and gestural communication. Very few intervention studies have been conducted with the aim of improving these skills.

Aims: We examined whether children with ASD who received the robot-based drama intervention had better narrative abilities and gestured more often than their peers who did not receive the intervention.