Psychological perspectives on robotic assisted pivotal response treatment in autism

Abstract

The impact of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) assisted by the social robot Pepper on the emotional regulation and treatment adherence of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their caregivers is explored. Given the integration of technology and psychology, our study provides empirical evidence on the role of social robots not only as therapeutic tools but also as facilitators of family engagement and personalized ASD interventions. Our findings highlight significant improvements in children’s emotional responses with the use of a social robot and offer new insights into the variability of caregiver adherence.