Evaluating the role of a humanoid robot to support learning in children with profound and multiple disabilities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify ways teachers might employ a robot to achieve learning objectives with pupils with intellectual disabilities and potential outcome measures. Design/methodology/approach A series of five case studies where teacher-pupil dyads were observed during five planned video-recorded sessions with a humanoid robot. Engagement was rated in a classroom setting and during the last session with the robot. Video recordings were analysed for duration of engagement, teacher assistance and number of goals achieved. Findings Teachers identified a wide range of learning objectives ranging from an appreciation of cause and effect to improving the pupil's sense of direction. The robot's role could be to reward behaviour, provide cues or provide an active element to learning. Rated engagement was significantly higher with the robot than in the classroom. Research limitations/implications A robot with a range of functions that allowed it to be engaging and motivating for the wide range of pupils in special education would be expensive and require teachers to learn how to use it. The findings identify ways to provide evidence that this expenditure of time and money is worthwhile. Originality/value There is almost no research teachers can refer to on using robots to support learning in children with intellectual disabilities. This paper is therefore of value for researchers who wish to investigate using robots to educate children with intellectual disabilities, as it can provide vital information to aid study design

Adapting a humanoid robot for use with children with profound and multiple disabilities

With all the developments in information technology (IT) for people with disabilities, few interventions have been designed for people with profound and multiple disabilities as there is little incentive for companies to design and manufacture technology purely for a group of consumers without much buying power. A possible solution is therefore to identify mainstream technology that, with adaptation, could serve the purposes required by those with profound and multiple disabilities. Because of its ability to engage the attention of young children with autism, the role of a humanoid robot was investigated. After viewing a demonstration, teachers of pupils with profound and multiple disabilities described actions they wished the robot to make in order to help nominated pupils to achieve learning objectives. They proposed a much wider range of suggestions for using the robot than it could currently provide. Adaptations they required fell into two groups: either increasing the methods through which the robot could be controlled or increasing the range of behaviours that the robot emitted. These were met in a variety of ways but most would require a degree of programming expertise above that possessed by most schoolteachers

Patients' use of a home-based virtual reality system to provide rehabilitation of the upper limb following stroke

Background: A low cost, virtual reality system that translates movements of the hand, fingers and thumb into game play was designed to provide a flexible and motivating approach to increasing adherence to home based rehabilitation. Objective: Effectiveness depends on adherence, so did patients use the intervention to the recommended level. If not, what reasons did they give? Design: Prospective cohort study plus qualitative analysis of interviews. Methods: 17 patients recovering from stroke recruited to the intervention arm of a feasibility trial had the equipment left in their homes for eight weeks and were advised to use it three times a day for periods of no more than 20 minutes. Frequency and duration of use were automatically recorded. At the end of the intervention, participants were interviewed to determine barriers to using it in the recommended way. Results: Duration of use and how many days they used the equipment are presented for the 13 participants who successfully started the intervention. These figures were highly variable and could fall far short of our recommendations. There was a weak (p=0.053) positive correlation between duration and baseline reported activities of daily living. Participants reported familiarity with technology and competing commitments as barriers to use although appreciated the flexibility of the intervention and found it motivating

The feasibility of psychomotor therapy in acute mental health services for adults with intellectual disability

Background. Psychomotor therapy enables people to reflect on the relationship between experiences and feelings by starting from awareness of bodily responses rather than from awareness of emotion. In this study we examine PsyMot (ID), an assessment that directs this psychological therapy. Method. Twelve suitable consecutive admissions were recruited from a specialist intellectual disability (ID) assessment and treatment unit for adults. Video-recordings of PsyMot (ID) allowed assessment of interrater reliability (IRR). Treatment goals indicated by PsyMot (ID) were addressed using psychomotor therapy as part of a comprehensive program of interventions. Results. Psychomotor therapy was both feasible and popular with patients who participated without any adverse effects. Nine patients completed PsyMot (ID). IRR of the treatment goals identified by all 3 raters was good to excellent in 81% cases, but there were discrepancies for individual items. Conclusions. PsyMot (ID) and psychomotor therapy is feasible within this context, and enriched the clinical team's formulation. Further studies of reliability and efficacy should be undertaken

Designing location based learning experiences for people with intellectual disabilities and additional sensory impairments

The research reported here is part of a larger project which seeks to combine serious games (or games based learning) with location based services to help people with intellectual disability and additional sensory impairments to develop work based skills. Specifically this paper reports on where these approaches are combined to scaffold the learning of new routes and ultimately independent travel to new work and educational opportunities. A phased development methodology is applied in a user sensitive manner, to ensure that user feedback drives the ongoing development process. Methods to structure this include group feedback on conceptual storyboards, expert review of prototypes using usability heuristics relating to the main system goals, and finally co-discovery methods with student pairs exploring all three modes of the system in real world contexts. Aspects of developmental and cognitive psychological theories are also reviewed and it is suggested that combining games based learning approaches with location based services is an appropriate combination of technologies for an application specifically designed to scaffold route learning for this target audience

Emerging issues and current trends in assistive technology use 2007-1010: practising, assisting and enabling learning for all

Following an earlier review in 2007, a further review of the academic literature relating to the uses of assistive technology (AT) by children and young people was completed, covering the period 2007-2011. As in the earlier review, a tripartite taxonomy: technology uses to train or practise, technology uses to assist learning and technology uses to enable learning, was used in order to structure the findings. The key markers for research in this field and during these three years were user involvement, AT on mobile mainstream devices, the visibility of AT, technology for interaction and collaboration, new and developing interfaces and inclusive design principles. The paper concludes by locating these developments within the broader framework of the Digital Divide