Social Robots and Board Games for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often encounter challenges in emotion recognition, emotional regulation, and social interactions. This pilot randomized controlled trial investigates the preliminary efficacy and feasibility of integrating a commercially available interactive social robot (Kebbi Air) with customized physical acrylic board games to enhance socio-emotional functioning in children with ASD, compared to conventional occupational therapy.

INTERVENTION PROTOCOL:

Participants are randomly allocated into one of two 8-week intervention programs (1 session per week, 30 minutes per session):

• Experimental Group (Robot-Assisted Board Game Intervention):

Participants interact with the Kebbi Air social robot running a dedicated application developed in collaboration with digital media specialists. The curriculum comprises 14 structured social scenarios addressing basic emotion recognition (happiness, anger, sadness, fear, liking, jealousy, longing), appropriate social responses, and non-verbal cues. The robot utilizes facial expressions, body movements, and dynamic voice cues to present 10 interactive questions per script. Children collect 5 modular acrylic puzzle pieces per scenario representing body postures, clothing, dialogue, background, and objects, assembling them onto an emotion puzzle board. A certified occupational therapist facilitates the session by scaffolding comprehension and guiding peer interactions. The robot serves purely as an interactive instructional tool and does not record or store personal identifiable data.

• Control Group (Conventional Occupational Therapy):

Participants receive standard, therapist-led occupational therapy targeting sensory-motor integration, emotional regulation, and social participation. Activities include sensory-based equipment (e.g., swings, therapy rollers, jumping mats) and structured social games (turn-taking, rule-following, and collaborative tasks) without robotic devices or specialized emotion puzzle board games.

OUTCOME MEASURES:

Standardized assessments are administered at baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately post-intervention (Week 8) via parent-reported questionnaires:

• Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2) to assess social communication, social motivation, and autistic behaviors.
• Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) to evaluate emotional, behavioral, and adaptive competencies.

SAMPLE SIZE AND RANDOMIZATION:

A total of 20 children aged 4 to 10 years with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of ASD (and meeting CDIIT developmental criteria) will be recruited and randomized (1:1 ratio) to either the experimental or control group.

Inclusion criteria

• Children aged 4 to 10 years, of any biological sex.
• Confirmed clinical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
• Cognitive ability: Comprehensive Developmental Inventory for Infants and Toddlers (CDIIT) results indicating borderline to normal cognitive function, with a Developmental Quotient (DQ) >= 70.
• Socio-emotional ability: CDIIT socio-emotional subscale indicating borderline development, with a Developmental Quotient (DQ) between 70 and 84.
• Legal guardian provides written informed consent and child provides assent where appropriate.

Exclusion criteria

• Inability to comprehend or engage in interactive activities involving the Kebbi Air robot or physical board games.
• Presence of other primary diagnoses affecting emotional or social functioning, such as severe neurodevelopmental disorders, psychiatric disorders, or ASD with severe emotional disturbances that prevent participation in intervention activities (CDIIT DQ < 70).
• Inability to commit to regular weekly intervention sessions, or parental unwillingness to participate in required observational assessments and questionnaire completion.
• Strong behavioral resistance or severe aversion to digital interactive tools or board game activities.
• Inability to follow simple two-step verbal instructions after a preliminary 10-minute trial assessment conducted by the occupational therapist.