Lessons Learned from Two Pilots Using Social Robots with Children with Autism in a Special Education School in Norway

Children with autism present some difficulties regarding social communication and emotional regulation. These difficulties are addressed by special education programs in several ways – for instance, peer-to-peer communication using pictograms or tablet-based games to rehearse social situations and learn about facial expressions. Social robots have shown potential as vehicles for these activities. They can be perceived as “safe” interaction partners, as well as entail a special motivation for children who are fascinated by technology. In this paper, we describe the experience of two pilot studies study using a NAO robot for social communication at a special education school in Norway involving five and fifteen (N1=5, and N2=15) children with autism, respectively. Each child used the robot for1-2 sessions with the help of their main teacher and an additional teacher operating the robot. The teachers could select from a repertoire of activities that utilized the robot in various ways. The sessions were videotaped and analyzed by a multidisciplinary team composed of pedagogists, teachers, and researchers on ICTs, ethics, health, pedagogy and technology. The videos show that some children initiated and reciprocated communication with the robot in different contexts and with various degrees of support from the teachers. This paper describes design recommendations towards a longer study and pedagogical and ethical reflections on particular experiences observed in the pilot study.