Feasibility study of a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of using a humanoid robot to improve the social skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (Kaspar RCT): a study protocol.

Journal: BMJ open
Published Date: Jun 22, 2017

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Interventions using robot-assisted therapy may be beneficial for the social skills development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are lacking. The present research aims to assess the feasibility of conducting an RCT evaluating the effectiveness of a social skills intervention using Kinesics and Synchronisation in Personal Assistant Robotics (Kaspar) with children with ASD.

Authors

  • Silvana E Mengoni
    Centre for Health Services and Clinical Research, Department of Psychology and Sport Sciences, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.
  • Karen Irvine
    Centre for Health Services and Clinical Research, Department of Psychology and Sport Sciences, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.
  • Deepshikha Thakur
    Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, Welwyn Garden, Hertfordshire, UK.
  • Garry Barton
    Health Economics Group, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
  • Kerstin Dautenhahn
    School of Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB, United Kingdom.
  • Karen Guldberg
    Autism Centre for Education and Research, School of Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
  • Ben Robins
    Uniservices, Auckland, New Zealand.
  • David Wellsted
    Centre for Health Services and Clinical Research, Department of Psychology and Sport Sciences, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.
  • Shivani Sharma
    Centre for Health Services and Clinical Research, Department of Psychology and Sport Sciences, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.

Keywords

External Resources

Popular Topics
Recent Journals