Developing interaction scenarios of robot-mediated imitation training for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

One of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)' major characteristics is the lack of social communication and interaction with other people. Recently, some research studies have examined robot-based interventions for children with ASD. In line with those studies, the present paper introduces our ongoing research on robot-mediated imitation training for children with ASD. In this paper, we focus on designing human-robot interaction for autism intervention whereas previous studies largely focused on developing robots for intervention. Several human-robot interaction scenarios for robot-mediated imitation training were developed with emphasis on facilitating communication between a child and a therapist. Two main concepts (triadic interaction and reciprocal imitation training) were adopted and modified to increase the efficacy of the intervention. The developed interaction scenarios described how a robot can be integrated into the clinical sessions and the requirements for a robot. The field trials for examining the efficacy of robot-mediated imitation training will be carried out.