The robot teaching autistic children how to communicate

[Deleted]

http://www.itv.com/news/2017-02-16/t...o-communicate/

At Queensmill school in London, the pupils are getting used to a new classmate who occasionally drops in.

Zeno is a robot that can make distinct facial expressions and, in experiments at the school with a child psychologist, the robot encourages the children to copy him.

For many children on the autistic spectrum, this isn’t so easy. Many of them can understand facial expressions, but can’t always make their own to communicate how they feel.

Zeno could help those children learn how to make facial expressions that other people can understand.

“Robots in therapeutic settings might be particular beneficial for autistic children because they potentially make them more comfortable in these settings,” says Prof Elizabeth Pellicano from the Centre for Research in Autism and Education at University College London. “And if we get children who are more comfortable and less anxious they might be more ready to learn.”

Queensmill headmaster Freddie Adu says robots often bring out deep interest in his pupils. “No two days are the same with autism," he says.

"Where there are often children who don’t communicate and they see all people as the same, sometimes with a robot we have seen some startling things where suddenly asking questions or responding to a stimulus they know is not another human being but it draws them out of their normal way of communicating and the results have been quite fascinating.”

We’re used to seeing robots automating and assisting our modern lives. With Zeno, scientists are looking at ways to go beyond that, to develop robots and software that learn about individuals and can find ways to help them.

At Imperial College London, computer engineers are building an artificial intelligence into Zeno, to turn the robot into a companion for children on the autistic spectrum.

“The main reason we want to use robots is that autistic kids are keen and happy to work with robots. They understand robots very well because robots are programmed and they are always consistent and they will show the same things each time,” says Prof Maja Pantic, who works how machines can understand non-verbal behaviour in humans.

For children on the autistic spectrum, even very slightly different versions of the same facial expression can be difficult to interpret, says Prof Pantic.

“They see the expression as a set of separate parts of the face and each one moves separately. For them, even if there is a slight difference in one eyebrow, they would see it as a completely different expression. This is very confusing.”

Zeno will not only learn a child’s own facial expressions, the robot will eventually teach the children how to make their own.

In early experiments in Serbia, Prof Pantic has had some encouraging results with a child who was non-verbal, meaning that he can talk but he usually doesn’t do it. “He went home after one session with Zeno and said to his mother, 'and tomorrow in school, the robot'.

"That was incredible because the kid didn’t speak for a year or more and exactly on that day he was so excited about the robot and playing with the robot that he actually spoke,” says Prof Pantic.

“This is great. Even if these kinds of effects we can achieve, this is great and the kids are opening and this is what we want. Usually they don’t understand what’s going on around them, our faces for them are a big enigma. They are closed and in their own world. Bringing them out is a great achievement.”

The research team are collecting initial data and want to start a clinical trial with Zeno in a few years’ time, to properly test how useful the robot could be.

If Zeno works, though, this robot could become a remarkable gateway to thoughts and emotions that children on the autistic spectrum have never been able to express before.

Something for the tech nerds, another positive story

[ramjb]

Meh, autism is about a real disease as ADHD. It seems like a trendy diagnosis nowadays that parents are getting for their kids because they have no idea how to discipline them (i.e. their kids are spoiled).

[Forgettable]

Meh, autism is about a real disease as ADHD. It seems like a trendy diagnosis nowadays that parents are getting for their kids because they have no idea how to discipline them (i.e. their kids are spoiled).

Evidently you've never met someone with autism. Go take your ignorance somewhere else.

On topic: This is brilliant.

[Sting]

But is it called robots for robots?

[Faesroll]

Meh, autism is about a real disease as ADHD. It seems like a trendy diagnosis nowadays that parents are getting for their kids because they have no idea how to discipline them (i.e. their kids are spoiled).

Coming from someone with autism, go fuck your ignorant self.

[Techno-Druid]

Meh, autism is about a real disease as ADHD. It seems like a trendy diagnosis nowadays that parents are getting for their kids because they have no idea how to discipline them (i.e. their kids are spoiled).

As someone on the spectrum, I would honestly say you clearly lack understanding of what autism is. First of all, it's not a disease, it's a neurodevelopmental disorder. Secondly, while I agree that some people shelter autistic people and do not allow them the chance to gain friends or improve their social skills, they're not just spoiled kids who lack discipline.

Growing up I really felt alienated and scared of the other kids to the point where I couldn't even speak properly. Because my parents didn't believe I was autistic, I was constantly thrown into situations I had no idea how to deal with. It got so bad that I started self-harm, and keep in mind this was during my years in Elementary School.

The very brains of people with autism are different from the neurotypical brain and people on the spectrum are extremely diverse when it comes to the behaviors they exhibit.

- - - Updated - - -

Coming from someone with autism, go fuck your ignorant self.

I concur!

/10char

[ramjb]

Coming from someone with autism, go fuck your ignorant self.

Blizzard din't make Symmetra the worst character in Overwatch for no reason....

[Destump]

Meh, autism is about a real disease as ADHD. It seems like a trendy diagnosis nowadays that parents are getting for their kids because they have no idea how to discipline them (i.e. their kids are spoiled).

I think you've been talking too much with self diagnosed internet autists. you are right tho when you say that people too often think someone has autism when they dont follow the ,norm'...
it's not a fake disease, I am a person with autism myself(not self diagnosed mind you, been in theraphy from my 6-7th to my 22th~).
I have alot of trouble reading body language, and when people get to close(even e.g. my parents if they want to give me a hug) my body sends me danger signals. I hate to touch people. standing in a line at the grocery store gives me danger signals. every single time.

I assure you that it's real, it sucks to have(but very manageable to live with).

[Annoying]

Meh, autism is about a real disease as ADHD. It seems like a trendy diagnosis nowadays that parents are getting for their kids because they have no idea how to discipline them (i.e. their kids are spoiled).

So an entirely real disease, got it.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-...behaviour.html

The results from our study confirm that people with ADHD have differences in their brain structure and therefore suggest that ADHD is a disorder of the brain.

We hope that this will help to reduce stigma that ADHD is 'just a label' for difficult children or caused by poor parenting.

[Teevo]

Meh, autism is about a real disease as ADHD. It seems like a trendy diagnosis nowadays that parents are getting for their kids because they have no idea how to discipline them (i.e. their kids are spoiled).

Hey look, a troll. Don't feed it, please.

[Mister Cheese]

I am happy to hear that we are finding ways to communicate better with autistic children. Hopefully they can be understood better so they can be helped.

[Azadina]

Meh, autism is about a real disease as ADHD. It seems like a trendy diagnosis nowadays that parents are getting for their kids because they have no idea how to discipline them (i.e. their kids are spoiled).

Let me guess, anti-vaxxer? Next you'll claim vaccines cause autism, am I right?

[Sail into the wind]

Neurodiversity should be celebrated. Although not all of these children are going to go on and become self-sufficient adults, it is still important to provide them with the tools that might give them an edge early on in life.

[Techno-Druid]

Why should it be celebrated? It certainly shouldn't be mocked or laughed at. But a disability (and that's what it is, to varying degrees), shouldn't be celebrated. Can we stop celebrating things we have no control over (race, sex, sexual preference) and things that don't benefit humanity.

Hopefully one day they can identify the signs and causes of autism and resolve them in the womb. Just like many other disorders that seem to get a lot of attention.

Well some people who have ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) are known as savants. They possess mental capabilities that far exceed that of the average neurotypical person. While a savant may lack proper social intelligence, their ability to read and respond to social behavior, they may far transcend their peers in mathematical or rhythmic intelligence.

I don't think we should try to eliminate these people's abilities, even if they only represent 10% of all autistic people. Plenty of people with aspergers have carved out successful lives for themselves (.i.e. Tim Burton, Dan Aykroyd). In regards to major ASD people who were revolutionary in their contributions to society, there's still a lot of debate on whether Einstein, Newton and Darwin actually had aspergers/high-functioning autism.

[Powerogue]

Seems weird to have a robot teaching facial expressions to a human, given the "uncanny valley" effect we've had to work so hard to avoid. It's usually the other way around.

[Cosmic Janitor]

Meh, autism is about a real disease as ADHD. It seems like a trendy diagnosis nowadays that parents are getting for their kids because they have no idea how to discipline them (i.e. their kids are spoiled).

I think you wanted to rant about asbergers.

[Sail into the wind]

Seems weird to have a robot teaching facial expressions to a human, given the "uncanny valley" effect we've had to work so hard to avoid. It's usually the other way around.

One of the major challenges to teaching basic social skills to the neurodiverse early on is that they may view typical human behavior as unpredictable and difficult to understand, which becomes a major source of discomfort. The brain learns poorly when it is stressed out, so this is one of the first barriers that need to be taken down.

Just as well, robot companions are always going to behave the same way - they are not going to throw the curve balls which tend to be a part of every day human interaction, and will never toss out sudden invitations into an unknown, scary pocket of the world that has not been explored yet... so, thanks to advancements like these, a child with special needs can come to school every day, and find some semblance of comfort in knowing that they will have a much safer environment that they can learn human behavior from.

About the uncanny valley, specifically, the answer is that it depends on how much empathy someone on the autism spectrum is able to feel, which varies. This might be of interest to you, or anyone else who wants to dig deeper into the subject:
stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1618&context=honorstheses1990-2015

The short answer is that, yes, most can pick up on the weirdness of a machine trying to pass off as human, but my guess is that the pros of interacting with a robot would still outweigh the cons.

[Sylv_]

One robot teaching another-- cool!

[Deleted]

Ignorant troll aside, I think this is an amazing idea, friend whos son has autism, is already hoping this will get rolled out.

[Jtbrig7390]

Meh, autism is about a real disease as ADHD. It seems like a trendy diagnosis nowadays that parents are getting for their kids because they have no idea how to discipline them (i.e. their kids are spoiled).

As someone with ADHD and has two brothers with Autism.....

Go fuck yourself.

Ill take my infraction for $1000 alex.

Ontopic: Amazing idea, if done correct.