Robot-Based Intervention for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review
Open accessAbstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits in the socio-communicative domain and frequently face severe difficulties in the recognition and expression of emotions. Existing literature suggested that children with ASD benefit from robot-based interventions. However, studies varied considerably in participant characteristics, applied robots, and trained skills. Here, we reviewed robot-based interventions targeting emotion-related skills for children with ASD following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. We systematically searched for all relevant articles published in English language until April 2021, using the databases Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. From a total of 609 identified papers, 60 publications including 50 original articles and 10 non-empirical articles including review articles and theoretical articles were eligible for the synthesis. A total of 892 participants were included in the robot-based intervention studies; 570 of them were children with ASD. Nao and Zeca were the most frequently used robots; Recognition of basic emotions and getting into interaction were the most frequently trained skills; while happiness, sadness, fear, and anger were the most frequently trained emotions. The studies reported a wide range of challenges with respect to robot-based intervention, ranging from limitations for certain ASD subgroups and security aspects of the robots to efforts regarding the automatic recognition of the children’s emotional state by the robotic systems. Finally, we summarised and discussed recommendations regarding the application of robot-based interventions for children with ASD.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Previous reviews limited their focus to a subset of conversational agents based on the embodiment level.
“Third, the previous reviews limited their focus to a subset of CAs based on the embodiment level, such as disembodied CAs13,20, CAs with virtual representation15, or with a physical representation23–25.”
From Use of automated conversational agents in improving young population mental health: a scoping review (2024) · cites this paper as [23]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Baio, J., Wiggins, L., Christensen, D. L., Maenner, M. J., Daniels, J., Warren, Z., Kurzius-Spencer, M., Zahorodny, W., Robinson, C., Rosenberg, et al. (2018) · MMWR. Surveillance Summaries · doi:10.15585/mmwr.ss6706a1 · Cited by 6,078 · see citing works
Lord, C., Elsabbagh, M., Baird, G., & Veenstra-Vanderweele, J. (2018) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(18)31129-2 · Cited by 2,819 · see citing works
Robots for Use in Autism Research
Scassellati, B. M., Admoni, H., & Matarić, M. J. (2012) · Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering · doi:10.1146/annurev-bioeng-071811-150036 · Cited by 954 · see citing works
Improving social skills in children with ASD using a long-term, in-home social robot
Scassellati, B. M., Boccanfuso, L., Huang, C., Mademtzi, M., Qin, M., Salomons, N., Ventola, P. E., & Shic, F. (2018) · Science Robotics · doi:10.1126/scirobotics.aat7544 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Autism spectrum disorder: advances in diagnosis and evaluation
Zwaigenbaum, L., & Penner, M. (2018) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.k1674 · Cited by 274 · see citing works
Children–robot interaction: a pilot study in autism therapy
Kozima, H., Nakagawa, C., & Yasuda, Y. L. (2007) · Progress in brain research · doi:10.1016/s0079-6123(07)64021-7 · Cited by 226 · see citing works
Online Affect Detection and Robot Behavior Adaptation for Intervention of Children With Autism
Liu, C., Conn, K., Sarkar, N., & Stone, W. L. (2008) · IEEE Transactions on Robotics · doi:10.1109/tro.2008.2001362 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Using the social robot probo as a social story telling agent for children with ASD
Vanderborght, B., Simut, R., Saldien, J., Pop, C., Rusu, A. S., Pintea, S., Lefeber, D., & David, D. O. (2012) · Interaction Studies Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systems · doi:10.1075/is.13.3.02van · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Initial response of autistic children in human-robot interaction therapy with humanoid robot NAO
Shamsuddin, S., Yussof, H., Ismail, L. I., Hanapiah, F. A., Mohamed, S., Piah, H. M. A., & Zahari, N. I. (2012) · IEEE International Colloquium on Signal Processing & Its Applications (CSPA) · doi:10.1109/cspa.2012.6194716 · Cited by 177 · see citing works
Michaud, F., & Caron, S. (2002) · Autonomous Robots · doi:10.1023/a:1014005728519 · Cited by 163 · see citing works
Yun, S., Choi, J., Park, S., Bong, G., & Yoo, H. (2017) · Autism Research · doi:10.1002/aur.1778 · Cited by 156 · see citing works
Measuring Engagement in Robot-Assisted Autism Therapy: A Cross-Cultural Study
Rudovic, O. O., Lee, J., Mascarell-Maricic, L., Schuller, B. W., & Picard, R. W. (2017) · Frontiers in Robotics and AI · doi:10.3389/frobt.2017.00036 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Self-citationMarino, F., Chilà, P., Sfrazzetto, S. T., Carrozza, C., Crimi, I., Failla, C., Busà, M., Bernava, G. M., Tartarisco, G., Vagni, D., et al. (2019) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-03953-x · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Mapping Robots to Therapy and Educational Objectives for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Huijnen, C. A. G. J., Lexis, M. A. S., Jansens, R., & de Witte, L. (2016) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2740-6 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
A quantitative technique for analysing robot-human interactions
Dautenhahn, K., & Werry, I. (2003) · IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) · doi:10.1109/irds.2002.1043883 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Human–Robot Facial Expression Reciprocal Interaction Platform: Case Studies on Children with Autism
Pour, A. G., Taheri, A., Alemi, M., & Meghdari, A. F. (2018) · International Journal of Social Robotics · doi:10.1007/s12369-017-0461-4 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Pop, C., Simut, R., Pintea, S., Saldien, J., Rusu, A. S., David, D., Vanderfaeillie, J., Lefeber, D., & Vanderborght, B. (2013) · International Journal of Humanoid Robotics · doi:10.1142/s0219843613500254 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Srinivasan, S. M., Park, I. K., Neelly, L. P., & Bhat, A. N. (2015) · Research in Autism · doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2015.07.004 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Robot-Assisted Therapy for Learning and Social Interaction of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Bharatharaj, J., Huang, L., Mohan, R., Al‐Jumaily, A. M., & Krägeloh, C. U. (2017) · Robotics · doi:10.3390/robotics6010004 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Matching Robot KASPAR to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Therapy and Educational Goals
Huijnen, C. A. G. J., Lexis, M. A. S., & de Witte, L. (2016) · International Journal of Social Robotics · doi:10.1007/s12369-016-0369-4 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
So, W., Wong, M. K.-Y., Lam, C. K.-Y., Lam, W.-Y., Chui, A. T.-F., Lee, T., Ng, H.-M., Chan, C.-H., & Fok, D. C.-W. (2017) · Disability and Rehabilitation Assistive Technology · doi:10.1080/17483107.2017.1344886 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Automatic Emotion Recognition in Robot-Children Interaction for ASD Treatment
Leo, M., Coco, M. D., Carcagnì, P., Distante, C., Bernava, G. M., Pioggia, G., & Palestra, G. (2015) · IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision Workshops · doi:10.1109/iccvw.2015.76 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Smeekens, I., van Dongen‐Boomsma, M., de Korte, M. W. P., den Boer, J. C., Oosterling, I. J., Peters-Scheffer, N. C., Buitelaar, J. K., Barakova, E. I., Lourens, T., Staal, W., et al. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-65048-3 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
A robot-assisted behavioral intervention system for children with autism spectrum disorders
Yun, S., Kim, H., Choi, J., & Park, S. (2015) · Robotics and Autonomous Systems · doi:10.1016/j.robot.2015.11.004 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Billing, E., Belpaeme, T., Cai, H., Cao, H.-L., Ciocan, A., Costescu, C. A., David, D. O., Homewood, R., García, D. H., Esteban, P. G., et al. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0236939 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Salvador, M. J., Silver, S., & Mahoor, M. H. (2015) · Proceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation/Proceedings · doi:10.1109/icra.2015.7140059 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Boccanfuso, L., Barney, E. C., Foster, C. E., Ahn, Y. A., Chawarska, K., Scassellati, B. M., & Shic, F. (2016) · ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) · doi:10.1109/hri.2016.7451729 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Mazzei, D., Billeci, L., Armato, A., Lazzeri, N., Cisternino, A., Pioggia, G., Igliozzi, R., Muratori, F., Ahluwalia, A. D., & Rossi, D. D. (2010) · IEEE RO-MAN · doi:10.1109/roman.2010.5598683 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
van Straten, C. L., Smeekens, I., Barakova, E. I., Glennon, J. C., Buitelaar, J. K., & Chen, A. (2017) · Personal and Ubiquitous Computing · doi:10.1007/s00779-017-1060-y · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Alnajjar, F. S. K., Cappuccio, M. L., Renawi, A., Mubin, O., & Loo, C. K. (2020) · International Journal of Social Robotics · doi:10.1007/s12369-020-00639-8 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
de Korte, M. W. P., Smeekens, I., van Dongen‐Boomsma, M., Oosterling, I. J., den Boer, J. C., Barakova, E. I., Lourens, T., Buitelaar, J. K., Glennon, J. C., & Staal, W. (2020) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361320935006 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Özcan, B., Caligiore, D., Sperati, V., Moretta, T., & Baldassarre, G. (2016) · International Journal of Social Robotics · doi:10.1007/s12369-016-0373-8 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Lessons Learnt Undertaking a Large-scale Systematic Literature Review
Turner, M., Kitchenham, B. A., Budgen, D., & Pearl Brereton, A. (2008) · Electronic workshops in computing · doi:10.14236/ewic/ease2008.12 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Miskam, M. A., Shamsuddin, S., Samat, M. R. A., Yussof, H., Ainudin, H. A., & Omar, A. R. (2014) · International Symposium on Micro-NanoMechatronics and Human Science · doi:10.1109/mhs.2014.7006084 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
A multimodal and multilevel system for robotics treatment of autism in children
Palestra, G., Varni, G., Chétouani, M., & Esposito, F. (2016) · doi:10.1145/3005338.3005341 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Dickstein-Fischer, L., & Fischer, G. S. (2014) · Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) · doi:10.1109/embc.2014.6943710 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Autistic Children's Kansei Responses Towards Humanoid-Robot as Teaching Mediator
Aziz, A. A., Moganan, F. F. M., Ismail, A., & Lokman, A. M. (2015) · Procedia Computer Science · doi:10.1016/j.procs.2015.12.322 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Robot-Enhanced CBT for dysfunctional emotions in social situations for children with ASD
Costescu, C. A., Vanderborght, B., & David, D. O. (2017) · Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies · doi:10.24193/jebp.2017.2.7 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Study on Social Interaction between Children with Autism and Humanoid Robot NAO
Miskam, M. A., Hamid, M. A. C., Yussof, H., Shamsuddin, S., Malik, N. A., & Basir, S. N. (2013) · Applied Mechanics and Materials · doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.393.573 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
From Child-Robot Interaction to Child-Robot-Therapist Interaction: A Case Study in Autism
Giannopulu, I., & Pradel, G. (2012) · Applied Bionics and Biomechanics · doi:10.1155/2012/682601 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Silva, K., Lima, M., Magalhães, A., Fafiães, C., & de Sousa, L. (2019) · Anthrozoös · doi:10.1080/08927936.2019.1550278 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Interactions With an Empathetic Agent: Regulating Emotions and Improving Engagement in Autism
Javed, H., & Park, C. H. (2019) · IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine · doi:10.1109/mra.2019.2904638 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
A Feasibility Study Evaluating the Emotionally Expressive Robot SAM
Koch, S. A., Stevens, C. E., Clesi, C. D., Lebersfeld, J. B., Sellers, A. G., McNew, M. E., Biasini, F. J., Amthor, F. R., & Hopkins, M. I. (2017) · International Journal of Social Robotics · doi:10.1007/s12369-017-0419-6 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Zantinge, G., van Rijn, S., Stockmann, L., & Swaab, H. (2018) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361318766439 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Getting Engaged: Assisted Play with a Humanoid Robot Kaspar for Children with Severe Autism
Zorčec, T., Robins, B., & Dautenhahn, K. (2018) · Communications in computer and information science · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-00825-3_17 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Self-citationLouie, W.-Y. G., Korneder, J., Abbas, I., & Pawluk, C. (2020) · Paladyn Journal of Behavioral Robotics · doi:10.1515/pjbr-2021-0005 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
English, B. A., Coates, A., & Howard, A. (2017) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-70022-9_56 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Potential clinical impact of positive affect in robot interactions for autism intervention
Kim, E. S., Daniell, C. M., Makar, C., Elia, J., Scassellati, B., & Shic, F. (2015) · Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction · doi:10.1109/acii.2015.7344544 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Robot-Assisted Socio-Emotional Intervention Framework for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Javed, H., Jeon, M., Howard, A., & Park, C. H. (2018) · ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) · doi:10.1145/3173386.3177082 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Costa, S., Soares, F., Pereira, A. P., Santos, C. P., & Hiolle, A. (2014) · IEEE RO-MAN · doi:10.1109/roman.2014.6926354 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Costa, S., Soares, F., Pereira, A. P., Santos, C. P., & Hiolle, A. (2014) · IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL) · doi:10.1109/devlrn.2014.6982997 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Development of skills in children with ASD using a robotic platform
Silva, S., Soares, F., Costa, S., Pereira, A. P., & Moreira, F. (2012) · IEEE Portuguese Meeting on Bioengineering · doi:10.1109/enbeng.2012.6331347 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Adaptive Framework for Emotional Engagement in Child-Robot Interactions for Autism Interventions
Javed, H., Jeon, M., & Park, C. H. (2018) · International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots (UR) · doi:10.1109/urai.2018.8441775 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Conti, D., Trubia, G., Buono, S., Nuovo, S. D., & Nuovo, A. G. D. (2019) · Qwerty · doi:10.30557/qw000018 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Li, J. J., Davison, D. P., Alcorn, A. M., Williams, A., Dimitrijević, S. B., Petrović, S., Chevalier, P., Schadenberg, B. R., Ainger, E., Pellicano, E., et al. (2020) · International Conference on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments (PETRA) · doi:10.1145/3389189.3393738 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Attentional Behavior of Children With ASD in Response to Robotic Agents
Mehmood, F., Mahzoon, H., Yoshikawa, Y., Ishiguro, H., Sadia, H., Ali, S., & Ayaz, Y. (2021) · IEEE Access · doi:10.1109/access.2021.3056211 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Hirokawa, M., Funahashi, A., Pan, Y., Itoh, Y., & Suzuki, K. (2016) · IEEE RO-MAN · doi:10.1109/roman.2016.7745217 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Examine the Potential of Robots to Teach Autistic Children Emotional Concepts: A Preliminary Study
Wang, H., Hsiao, P.-Y., & Min, B. (2016) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-47437-3_56 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Malik, N. A., Shamsuddin, S., Yussof, H., Miskam, M. A., & Hamid, A. C. (2013) · IOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering · doi:10.1088/1757-899x/53/1/012077 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Yun, S., Choi, J., & Park, S.-K. (2016) · IEEE RO-MAN · doi:10.1109/roman.2016.7745194 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Aziz, A. A., Mokhsin, M., Moganan, F. F. M., Ismail, A., Sakamat, N., Zainol, A. S., & Lokman, A. M. (2018) · Advanced Science Letters · doi:10.1166/asl.2018.10939 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Escolano-Pérez, E., Gilabert, A., Lorenzo-Lledó, ., Lorenzo-Lledó, ., & Carreres, A. L. (2019) · EDULEARN proceedings · doi:10.21125/edulearn.2019.0972 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Robotic Framework for Music-Based Emotional and Social Engagement with Children with Autism
Park, C. H., Pai, N., Bakthavatchalam, J., Li, Y., Jeon, M., & Howard, A. M. (2015) · Digital Commons - Michigan Tech (Michigan Technological University) · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Aziz, A., Moganan, F. F. M., Mokhsin, M., Sakamat, N., & Ismail, A. (2018) · Advances in intelligent systems and computing · doi:10.1007/978-981-10-8612-0_60 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Language Acquisition and Language Disorders
(2013) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald · Cited by 166 · see citing works
A social robot connected with chatGPT to improve cognitive functioning in ASD subjects
Bertacchini, F., Demarco, F., Scuro, C., Pantano, P., & Bilotta, E. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1232177 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Approaches, Applications, and Challenges in Physiological Emotion Recognition—A Tutorial Overview
Can, Y. S., Mahesh, B., & André, E. (2023) · Proceedings of the IEEE · doi:10.1109/jproc.2023.3286445 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Use of automated conversational agents in improving young population mental health: a scoping review
Balan, R., Dobrean, A., & Poetar, C. R. (2024) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-024-01072-1 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
“Third, thepreviousreviewslimited theirfocustoasubsetofCAsbased on the embodiment level, such as disembodied CAs 13,20 , CAs with virtual representation 15 ,orwithaphysicalrepresentation 23 – 25 .”
Systematic Review of Social Robots for Health and Wellbeing: A Personal Healthcare Journey Lens
Ghafurian, M., Chandra, S., Hutchinson, R., Lim, A., Baliyan, I., Rhim, J., Gupta, G., Aroyo, A. M., Rasouli, S., & Dautenhahn, K. (2024) · ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction · doi:10.1145/3700446 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Muthu, P., Tan, Y., Latha, S., Dhanalakshmi, S., Lai, K. W., & Wu, X. (2023) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1030656 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Dia, M., Khodabandelou, G., Sabri, A. Q. M., & Othmani, A. (2023) · Biomedical Signal Processing and Control · doi:10.1016/j.bspc.2023.105712 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Baños, O., Comas-González, Z., Medina-Quero, J., Polo-Rodríguez, A., Gil, D., Peral, J., Amador, S., & Villalonga, C. (2024) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2024.105469 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Banzon, A. M., Beever, J., & Taub, M. (2023) · IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing · doi:10.1109/taffc.2023.3275624 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Robot-Assisted Training for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review
Islam, M. A., Hasan, M. M., & Deowan, S. A. (2023) · Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems · doi:10.1007/s10846-023-01872-9 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Coşkun, B., Uluer, P., Toprak, E., Barkana, D. E., Köse, H., Zorčec, T., Robins, B., & Landowska, A. (2022) · IEEE/RAS-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob) · doi:10.1109/biorob52689.2022.9925485 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Self-citationGhiglino, D., Floris, F., Tommaso, D. D., Russi, N. S., Frulli, A., Moretti, S., & Wykowska, A. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-12253-7 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Developmental Profiles in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Silleresi, S. (2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Challenges in Observing the Emotions of Children with Autism Interacting with a Social Robot
Barkana, D. E., Bartl-Pokorny, K. D., Köse, H., Landowska, A., Milling, M., Robins, B., Schuller, B. W., Uluer, P., Wróbel, M. R., & Zorčec, T. (2024) · International Journal of Social Robotics · doi:10.1007/s12369-024-01185-3 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Self-citationLiu, L., Li, S., Tian, L., Yao, X., Ling, Y., Chen, J., Wang, G., & Yang, Y. (2024) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs14100871 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
HARNet: design and evaluation of a deep genetic algorithm for recognizing yoga postures
Subramanian, R. R., & Govindaraj, V. (2024) · Signal Image and Video Processing · doi:10.1007/s11760-024-03173-6 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
The Effects of Robots on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-analysis
Wang, W., Jian, X., & Diao, L. (2025) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-025-06883-z · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Multimodal Emotion Analysis of Robotic Assistance in Elderly Care
Demaeght, A., Miclau, C., Hartmann, J., Markwardt, J., & Korn, O. (2022) · International Conference on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments (PETRA) · doi:10.1145/3529190.3529194 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Determinants of Technological Interventions for Children With Autism - A Systematic Review
Hasan, N., & Nene, M. J. (2023) · Journal of Educational Computing Research · doi:10.1177/07356331231200701 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Said, Y., Saidani, T., Atri, M., Alsheikhy, A. A., & Shawly, T. (2025) · Biomedical Signal Processing and Control · doi:10.1016/j.bspc.2025.108367 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
A Survey: Approaches for Detecting the Autism Spectrum Disorder
T.Ravishankar, & Sujatha, P. (2023) · International Journal of Data Informatics and Intelligent Computing · doi:10.59461/ijdiic.v2i2.60 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Health Care Social Robots in the Age of Generative AI: Protocol for a Scoping Review
Lempe, P. N., Guinemer, C., Fürstenau, D., Dressler, C., Balzer, F., & Schaaf, T. (2024) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/63017 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
A scoping review of artificial intelligence-based robot therapy for children with disabilities
Yahya, R., Jailani, R., Hanapiah, F. A., & Zakaria, N. K. (2024) · Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science · doi:10.11591/ijeecs.v33.i3.pp1855-1865 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Komariyah, D. A., Inoue, K., Suyama, N., Buwana, C., & Ito, Y. (2024) · Disability and Rehabilitation Assistive Technology · doi:10.1080/17483107.2024.2378946 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Šimleša, S., Stošić, J., Bilić, I., & Cepanec, M. (2022) · Interaction Studies Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systems · doi:10.1075/is.21037.sim · Cited by 6 · see citing works
ARNet: Enhanced Tracking and Optimization for Video-Based Affect Recognition
Othmani, A., Khan, M., Saddik, A. E., & Cogo‐Moreira, H. (2025) · International Conference on Image, Video and Signal Processing (IVSP) · doi:10.1145/3749859.3749874 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Zhong, W., Luo, J., Luo, L., & Lyu, Y. (2025) · Journal of Computer Assisted Learning · doi:10.1111/jcal.70154 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Mutluer, T., Fıçıcıoğlu, İ. E. G., Uysal, M., Ekinci, S., Coskun, C. N., Mete, H. K., Çaltıner, Ş. N. İ., Bugay, B. Z., Sever, E., & Başdoğan, Ç. (2026) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-025-02867-7 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
YAREN: Humanoid Torso Robot Platform for Research, Social Interaction, and Educational Applications
Sanchez-Orozco, D., Valdez-Yepez, R., Uchuari, Y., Fajardo-Pruna, M., Quero, L. C., Algabri, R., Yumbla, E. Q., & Yumbla, F. (2025) · IEEE Access · doi:10.1109/access.2025.3581134 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Figueiredo, A. R., Pereira, A. J., Frias, F., Rodrigues, L. M. D., & Diogo, P. (2025) · Journal of Pediatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2025.09.017 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Xie, W., & Lu, J. (2025) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2025.2587245 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Wu, Q. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-26307-3 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Benedicto-Rodríguez, G., Juan, C. G., Fernández‐Caballero, A., Fernandez, E., & Ferrández, J. M. (2024) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-61140-7_33 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Gürpınar, C., Takır, Ș., Biçer, E., Uluer, P., Arıca, N., & Köse, H. (2022) · Image and Vision Computing · doi:10.1016/j.imavis.2022.104572 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citationSemerci, Y. C., Akgün, G., Toprak, E., & Barkana, D. E. (2022) · Medical Technologies Congress (TIPTEKNO) · doi:10.1109/tiptekno56568.2022.9960200 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citationAIRCA: Co-Design of Scenarios for Treating Autism Spectrum Condition with NAO Robot
Borghese, N. A., Ciardo, F., Chitti, E., Scuotto, R. S., Actis-Grosso, R., Cavallo, F., Fiorini, L., Pugi, L., Olivari, B., Tedoldi, M., et al. (2024) · Lecture notes in bioengineering · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-77318-1_2 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Li, X., Lui, M. A., Song, X., Li, Y.-R., Liu, X.-Y., Pi, R., & So, W. (2025) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-025-07054-w · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Anagnostopoulou, D., Efthymiou, N., Papailiou, C., & Maragos, P. A. (2022) · IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) · doi:10.1109/iros47612.2022.9981908 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
An assessment model for emotion advisor for autistic children using deep learning
Kumar, A., & Jaiswal, U. C. (2024) · OPSEARCH · doi:10.1007/s12597-024-00891-w · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Reimagining Autism Interventions: Robots as Adaptive Cognitive Partners in Social Learning
Ghiglino, D., & Wykowska, A. (2025) · Annual Review of Control Robotics and Autonomous Systems · doi:10.1146/annurev-control-022624-015001 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Milling, M., Bartl-Pokorny, K. D., & Schuller, B. W. (2022) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2022.02.24.22271443 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationKim, S., Hirokawa, M., Funahashi, A., & Suzuki, K. (2022) · Multimodal Technologies and Interaction · doi:10.3390/mti6050039 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Robot-Assisted Cognitive Training for Children with Autism Insights and Outcomes
Does, R. I., Nivedita, V., Reddy, S. V. S., Jana, D. L. F., Sudha, M., & Manjul, R. R. (2023) · International Conference on Electronics, Communication and Aerospace Technology (ICECA) · doi:10.1109/iceca58529.2023.10395646 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Munster, M., & Jamshidnejad, A. (2025) · IEEE Access · doi:10.1109/access.2025.3584194 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
A Child-Aware Setup for Automatic Evaluation of Interaction with Robots in NAO Autism Therapy
Brienza, M., Mauceri, S., Bloisi, D. D., Romano, M., Frolli, A., Suriani, V., Pierri, F., Rinaldi, A., Muratori, F., Palermo, G., et al. (2025) · IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications (MeMeA) · doi:10.1109/memea65319.2025.11068012 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
A mechatronic shirt kit to enhance psychomotor and life skills in autistic children: a pilot study
Moorthy, R. S., Krishnan, R. H., & Pugazhenthi, S. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-20597-3 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Herrero-Martín, J., Fonseca, D., Mauri, S. A., Caro-Via, S., & Canaleta, X. (2026) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2026.2655930 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Guidelines for Emotion Recognition in Robot-Supported Interventions in Autism
Wróbel, M. R., Bartl-Pokorny, K. D., Zorčec, T., Barkana, D. E., Köse, H., Milling, M., Robins, B., Schuller, B. W., & Landowska, A. (2026) · International Journal of Social Robotics · doi:10.1007/s12369-026-01401-2 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citationElectromyography (EMG) based quadruped robot telemanipulation
Rath, S., Ghoshal, H., Mandal, P., Kashyap, P., Somappa, L., & Tallur, S. G. (2024) · IEEE Applied Sensing Conference (APSCON) · doi:10.1109/apscon60364.2024.10466219 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Robôs Socialmente Assistivos: Desenvolvendo Sessões de Terapia Multissensorial com o Robô EVA
Rocha, M., Melo, S., Favela, J., & Saade, D. C. M. (2022) · doi:10.5753/sbc.10508.0.2
Analysis of the recognition and expression of emotions by people with ASD: A comparative study
Uma, N., Sundaram, B. M., Rakshitha, B. A., & Krishnan, S. B. (2022) · International Conference on Contemporary Computing and Informatics (IC3I) · doi:10.1109/ic3i56241.2022.10072920
Alshalan, T., Alamri, G., & Alabullhafith, M. (2023) · doi:10.5121/csit.2023.130814
Altruistic ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Virtual Reality Game
Alshalan, T., Alamri, G., & Alabullhafith, M. (2023) · The International journal of Multimedia & Its Applications · doi:10.5121/ijma.2023.15301
A Survey on Exploring Early Signs of Autism and User Perspectives
Rithika, C. M., Gupta, D., Priyanka, A. H., Kulkarni, R. P., & Murthy, R. K. (2023) · IARJSET · doi:10.17148/iarjset.2023.101209
Unveiling Insights: Analyzing Application Logs to Enhance Autism Therapy Outcomes
Ilijoski, B., & Ackovska, N. (2024) · Communications in computer and information science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-54321-0_8
Utilizing Support Vector Machine to Help with Social Robot Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Ibrahim, H., Al‐Talabani, A. K., & Loo, C. K. (2024) · International Multi-Conference on Systems, Signals & Devices (SSD) · doi:10.1109/ssd61670.2024.10548243
Zabani, F. N., Saw, J. A., Daud, N., Aziz, A., & Lokman, A. M. (2024) · Communications in computer and information science · doi:10.1007/978-981-97-9890-2_3
Intelligence profiles in autism spectrum disorder
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.c4
Interactive technologies for training language skills in children on the autism spectrum
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.c7
Structural language and Autism Spectrum Disorder
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.c2
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.c3
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.c1
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.ack
List of most frequent acronyms and abbreviations
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.abb
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.refs
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.lot
Profiles in children on the autism spectrum
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.c6
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.li
Autism severity and developmental factors
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.c5
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.pre
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.lof
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.si
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.toc
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.prelim
(2023) · Language acquisition & language disorders · doi:10.1075/lald.68.c8
A Review on Gesture-Sensitive Interactive Learning for Preschoolers
Markad, P., Chile, R., Thakare, V., & Ghodke, S. (2024) · International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing and Intelligent Information Systems (ICUIS) · doi:10.1109/icuis64676.2024.10866628
Reaching and Grasping with NAO Robot
Borghese, N. A., & Chitti, E. (2025) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-981-96-3519-1_3
Enhancing social skills development in children with autism through robotic interventions
Biswas, S., Nandy, A., Naskar, A. K., & Gajarla, H. R. (2025) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-26480-1.00005-9
Fonseca, D., Herrero-Martín, J., Canaleta, X., & Caro-Via, S. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5247478
Peiris, L., Vasanthapriyan, S., & Thuseethan, S. (2024) · International Conference on Advances in Technology and Computing (ICATC) · doi:10.1109/icatc64549.2024.11025301
An Approach to Detect Autism in Early Stage Using Inception v3
Kumar, P., D., J., & Jeyapriyan, M. (2025) · doi:10.1109/iccsp64183.2025.11089198
Editorial: Artificial intelligence for child health and wellbeing
Pokorny, F. B., & Bartl-Pokorny, K. D. (2025) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2025.1685788
Self-citationREMOVED: ERAnet: Emotion Recognition based Assistive learning network for autistic children
Nirudeeswar, R., Thrishal, S., Shruthi, V., Angalaeswari, S., & Aravindkumar, S. (2025) · Results in Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.rineng.2025.106989
RetractedBiagi, F., Iani, C., & Biagiotti, L. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1675098
Thunberg, S., Lagerstedt, E., Jönsson, A., & Sundell, A. L. (2025) · Frontiers in Robotics and AI · doi:10.3389/frobt.2025.1659784
Huang, R., Wang, J., Jiang, J., Li, H., Liu, F., & Wang, Y. (2025) · International Conference on Machine Learning and Computer Application (ICMLCA) · doi:10.1109/icmlca66850.2025.11336761
Markad, P., Thakare, V. S., Ghodke, S., Chile, R., Bhirud, D., & Chaudhari, D. (2026) · AIP conference proceedings · doi:10.1063/5.0322699
Camilleri, R. Y., Camilleri, V., & Montebello, M. (2026) · AI Computer Science and Robotics Technology · doi:10.5772/acrt20260007
Fang, Y., Hu, Y., Teng, J., Cai, Y., Liu, J., Xia, F., Tang, Y., & Chen, L. (2026) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3772318.3791944
Vascelli, L., Riccio, E., Giannatiempo, S., Picarella, M., & Semino, M. (2026) · Tizard Learning Disability Review · doi:10.1108/tldr-01-2026-0001
Cui, W., Zhang, K., Zhang, Z. D., Cui, H., Lv, C., Alsudais, T. A., & Wang, X. (2026) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs16050746
Feng, J., Fadzil, N. H. M., Chai, S. C., Singh, S. J., Kadar, M., & Chu, S. Y. (2026) · Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities · doi:10.1007/s10882-026-10069-5
Evaluating Supports for Group Play-Based Therapy with Social Validity
Currin, F. H., Camacho-Arias, G., Onions, M., Michels, T. M., Schmuecker, S., Cargo, H., Geiger-Lee, J., Norris, D., & Hourcade, J. P. (2026) · ACM International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC) · doi:10.1145/3773077.3810977
Bartolini, A., & Filomia, M. (2026) · European Early Childhood Education Research Journal · doi:10.1080/1350293x.2026.2685082
Reinoso, C. B. C., Vera, C. F. M., Mero, C. A. L., Panchana, V. A. C., Pineda, D. F. T., & Chalén, J. B. P. (2026) · South Florida Journal of Development · doi:10.46932/sfjdv7n8-011
Wang, S., Jiao, G., & li, Y. (2026) · Big Data · doi:10.1177/2167647x261487329
Pugi, L., Fiorini, L., Borghese, N. A., Ciardo, F., Ricciardelli, P., Actis-Grosso, R., Chitti, E., Scuotto, R. S., & Cavallo, F. (2026) · IEEE RO-MAN · doi:10.1109/ro-man72286.2026.11715007
Multimodal Assessment of Engagement: Evaluating the Engagement Metrics in Emotional Training Therapy
Hafizalshah, H., Ghazali, A. S., Ham, J. R. C., Sidek, S. N., & Yusof, H. M. (2026) · International Conference on Mechatronics Engineering (ICOM) · doi:10.1109/icom71159.2026.11726314
dos Santos, L. P., & Paradeda, R. B. (2026) · Anais do ... Simpósio Brasileiro de Informática na Educação/Anais do Simpósio Brasileiro de Informática na Educação · doi:10.5753/sbie.2026.27062
- Authors
- Bartl-Pokorny, K. D., Pykala, M., Uluer, P., Barkana, D. E., Baird, A., Kose, H., Zorcec, T., Robins, B., Schuller, B. W., & Landowska, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Augsburg (DE)
- Istanbul Technical University (TR)
- Yeditepe University (TR)
- University of Hertfordshire (GB)
- Gdańsk University of Technology (PL)
- ORCID
- Venue
- IEEE Access
- Published
- 2021
- Volume
- 9
- Pages
- 165433-165450
- ISSN
- 2169-3536 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4205908373
- Cited by
- 100
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 10 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 2.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- IEEE Access (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Istanbul Technical University Academic Open Archive (Istanbul Technical University) (submittedVersion)
- OPUS (Augsburg University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- European Commission’s Erasmus+ Project (2019-1-PL01-KA203-065096)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Social Robot Interaction and HRI
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, social robots, emotion recognition, emotional expression, children with autism, NAO robot, robot security, automatic emotion recognition
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
