Research Article

Inclusive Education for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study

Volume: 7 Number: 2 July 6, 2022
EN

Inclusive Education for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study

Abstract

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder often struggle to establish and keep positive relationships with peers and adults because of communication and social difficulties. It has been shown that humanoid robots and virtual agents can enable interventionists to maximize engagement during instruction and program for generalization. Humanoid robots have also been employed as a mediator and therapeutic support tool for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder so that inclusive education for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder can be achieved. Similarly, the findings obtained in many research studies carried out recently support the use of technology-aided interventions and instruction with interactive virtual agents on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Therefore, in this study, the use of humanoid robots and virtual agents for inclusive education is reviewed and a pilot study is presented. In addition, challenges, opportunities and future research directions in this domain are provided.

Keywords

Inclusive Education, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Humanoid Robots, Virtual Agents, Virtual Reality Environment

References

  1. Ainscow, M., Dyson, A., & Weiner, S. (2013). From Exclusion to Inclusion: Ways of Responding in Schools to Students with Special Educational Needs. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED546818.pdf
  2. Alcorn, A. M., Ainger, E., Charisi, V., Mantinioti, S., Petrović, S., Schadenberg, B. R., Tavassoli, T., & Pellicano, E. (2019). Educators' Views on Using Humanoid Robots with Autistic Learners in Special Education Settings in England. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 6, 107. doi: 10.3389/frobt.2019.00107
  3. Andrews, D., Walton, E., & Osman, R. (2021). Constraints to the implementation of inclusive teaching: a cultural historical activity theory approach. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25(13), 1508-1523. doi: 10.1080/13603116.2019.1620880
  4. Bakken, J. P. (2016). General and Special Education Inclusion in an Age of Change: An Introduction. General and Special Education Inclusion in an Age of Change: Impact on Students with Disabilities (Advances in Special Education, Vol. 31), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 1-12. doi: 10.1108/S0270-401320160000031001
  5. Berryman, M., Ford, T., Nevin, A., & SooHoo, S. (2015). Culturally Responsive Contexts: Establishing Relationships for Inclusion. International journal of special education, 30, 39-51.
  6. Boccanfuso, L., Scarborough, S., Abramson, R. K., Hall, A. V., Wright, H. H., & O’Kane, J. M. (2017). A low-cost socially assistive robot and robot-assisted intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder: Field trials and lessons learned. Autonomous Robots, 41, 637-655. doi: 10.1007/s10514-016-9554-4
  7. Brodzeller, K. L., Ottley, J. R., Jung, J., & Coogle, C. G. (2018). Interventions and Adaptations for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Inclusive Early Childhood Settings. Early Childhood Education Journal, 46, 277-286. doi: 10.1007/s10643-017-0859-5
  8. Chang, C. -W., Lee, J. -H., Chao, P. -Y., Wang, C. -Y., & Chen, G. -D. (2010). Exploring the Possibility of Using Humanoid Robots as Instructional Tools for Teaching a Second Language in Primary School. Educational Technology & Society, 13 (2), 13-24.
  9. Charlton, C. T., Kellems, R. O., Black, B., Bussey, H. C., Ferguson, R., Goncalves, B., Jensen, M., & Vallejo, S. R. (2020). Effectiveness of avatar-delivered instruction on social initiations by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 71, 101494. doi: 10.1016/j.rasd.2019.101494
  10. Cheng, Y., & Huang, R. (2012). Using virtual reality environment to improve joint attention associated with pervasive developmental disorder. Research in developmental disabilities, 33(6), 2141-2152. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2012.05.023
APA
Tuna, A. (2022). Inclusive Education for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study. Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age, 7(2), 274-282. https://doi.org/10.53850/joltida.1071876
AMA
1.Tuna A. Inclusive Education for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study. JOLTIDA. 2022;7(2):274-282. doi:10.53850/joltida.1071876
Chicago
Tuna, Ayşe. 2022. “Inclusive Education for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study”. Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age 7 (2): 274-82. https://doi.org/10.53850/joltida.1071876.
EndNote
Tuna A (July 1, 2022) Inclusive Education for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study. Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age 7 2 274–282.
IEEE
[1]A. Tuna, “Inclusive Education for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study”, JOLTIDA, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 274–282, July 2022, doi: 10.53850/joltida.1071876.
ISNAD
Tuna, Ayşe. “Inclusive Education for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study”. Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age 7/2 (July 1, 2022): 274-282. https://doi.org/10.53850/joltida.1071876.
JAMA
1.Tuna A. Inclusive Education for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study. JOLTIDA. 2022;7:274–282.
MLA
Tuna, Ayşe. “Inclusive Education for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study”. Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age, vol. 7, no. 2, July 2022, pp. 274-82, doi:10.53850/joltida.1071876.
Vancouver
1.Ayşe Tuna. Inclusive Education for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Use of Humanoid Robots and Virtual Agents to Alleviate Symptoms and Improve Skills, and A Pilot Study. JOLTIDA. 2022 Jul. 1;7(2):274-82. doi:10.53850/joltida.1071876