The Use of Robots in Social Communications and Interactions for Individuals with ASD: a Systematic Review

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of robot-mediated interventions on improvement of social communications and interactions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. It identified the variables related to social skills that were measured in the reviewed studies. Methods A systematic review of contemporary peer-reviewed studies published from 2010 to 2019 inclusive was conducted. PsychInfo and Scopus were the databases used to identify the studies. Results The majority of the reviewed papers demonstrated that the robot-mediated intervention was effective in enhancing social skills in individuals with ASD. Eye contact was the variable most examined to determine the effectiveness of the interventions. Most of the robots were humanoid and operated under a Wizard of Oz autonomous mode and acted predominantly as behavior-eliciting agents. Conclusions In line with previous studies, robot-mediated interventions were generally effective in improving social skill; however, there was some variability within the individuals with eye contact, joint attention, and imitation being the variables most measured. Areas considered for future research include maintenance and generalization phases with the intervention as well as matching the individuals’ needs to the features of the robots used.