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Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Need a
Helping “Hand” with Communication
Catherine W.C. So
by Professor
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology
among school-aged children. Two recent research
studies conducted by Professor So and her colleagues
found that gesture deficits are still found in six-to
twelve-year old (school-aged) children with ASD.
Compared to their typically-developing counterparts,
school-aged children with ASD gesture less often and
use fewer types of gestures, especially markers. They
also have difficulty in producing iconic gestures at
specified locations to identify referents under some
circumstances. Based on these findings, there is a
desperate need to develop an intervention program
to teach gestures to children with ASD, thereby
promoting their overall socio-communicative skills.
One challenge therapists face is that children with
ASD have difficulty in imitating meaningful gestures.
One possible explanation for this challenge is that
the human beings producing these gestures are not
31 engaging to children with ASD. In the past decade,
social robots have become widely used in therapies
When we talk, we gesture. Gestures are spontaneous for individuals with ASD and have been found to
hand movements produced while talking, e.g., both arouse their interests and elicit responses from them.
hands clap while saying, “You have done a good This is because a social robot can provide structured
job;” right hand moves toward self while saying, and clear information and it responds to children with
“I am here.” Compared to typically-developing ASD according to predictable rules. In addition, these
children, young children with Autism Spectrum children do not need to consider socio-emotional
Disorders (ASD) have delayed development of expectations when interacting with robots, thus
gesture production. They are found to gesture reducing their social anxiety. More important, social
less often than both typically-developing and robots do not have the range of facial features and
developmentally delayed children. Specifically, they expressions of human beings, thus avoiding sensory
have difficulties in producing “proto-declarative” overstimulation and distractions in children with ASD.
pointing gestures (gestures that elicit joint attention
and shared interests, e.g., a child points to a toy car The initial therapeutic intervention study done by
in order to direct his mother’s attention to it), markers Professor So and her research team found that the
(gestures that carry culturally specific meaning, e.g., animated social robot, NAO, successfully taught
the raised thumb for hitchhiking), and iconic gestures children with ASD to recognise and produce twenty
(gestures that depict the actions or attributes of the gestures, including iconic gestures and markers. This
entities, e.g., two hands flapping for bird or an action intervention programme lasted three months over
of flying) than their typically-developing peers. All three phases, with each phase lasting four weeks.
these gestures are crucial for communication. All children with ASD were trained to recognise the
proposed gestures produced by NAO in Phase I,
Most autism research on gestural production has imitate these gestures in Phase II, and produce them
been conducted among children aged below six. in appropriate social contexts in Phase III. Significant
Surprisingly, very little is known about the ability to differences between the results of pre- and post-tests
produce and comprehend different types of gestures
were found in all phases. This shows that robot-based
intervention is effective in teaching children with ASD
t
to recognize and produce gestures. The findings o recognize and produce gestures. The findings
inform
inform therapists and educational psychologists therapists and educational psychologists
about gestures and pave the way for developing gestures and pave the way for developing gestures and pave the way for developing
about
about
protocols in promoting development of other social
protocols in promoting development of other social
protocols in promoting development of other social
skills in children with ASD.
Thanks to the support of the Faculty of Education, a
Thanks to the support of the Faculty of Education, a
real social robot, NAO (named Kya) is introduced.
real social robot, NAO (named Kya) is introduced.
Different from the animated NAO, Kya can produce
Different from the animated NAO, Kya can produce
gestures in a 3D space. Kya is visually engaging to
gestures in a 3D space. Kya is visually engaging to
a child. While it maintains a somewhat mechanical
a child. While it maintains a somewhat mechanical
appearance (which can spark the child’s interest),
appearance (which can spark the child’s interest),
it is easily discernable as humanoid (which can
it is easily discernable as humanoid (which can
increase the chances of generalisation to human-to-
increase the chances of generalisation to human-to-
human interactions). It also has enough degrees-of-
human interactions). It also has enough degrees-of-
freedom (DOF) to perform the required gestures. In
freedom (DOF) to perform the required gestures. In
the coming years, we will design games and activities
the coming years, we will design games and activities 3232
that facilitate interactions between children with ASD
that facilitate interactions between children with ASD
and Kya. Professor So seeks to create an educational
and Kya. Professor So seeks to create an educational
platform for children with ASD to learn to identify
platform for children with ASD to learn to identify
the gesture meanings and imitate gestures produced
the gesture meanings and imitate gestures produced
by Kya and to have Kya recognize the gestures
by Kya and to have Kya recognize the gestures
produced by children, thereby establishing a two-way
produced by children, thereby establishing a two-way
communication. The ultimate goal is to help children
communication. The ultimate goal is to help children
with ASD transfer the communicative skills they
with ASD transfer the communicative skills they
have acquired in the robot-mediated interactions to
have acquired in the robot-mediated interactions to
human-human interactions, thus promoting inclusive
human-human interactions, thus promoting inclusive
education.