Engagnition: A multi-dimensional dataset for engagement recognition of children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Engagement plays a key role in improving the cognitive and motor development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sensing and recognizing their engagement is crucial before sustaining and improving the engagement. Engaging technologies involving interactive and multi-sensory stimuli have improved engagement and alleviated hyperactive and stereotyped behaviors. However, due to the scarcity of data on engagement recognition for children with ASD, limited access to and small pools of participants, and the prohibitive application requirements such as robots, high cost, and expertise, implementation in real world is challenging. However, serious games have the potential to overcome those drawbacks and are suitable for practical use in the field. This study proposes Engagnition, a dataset for engagement recognition of children with ASD (N = 57) using a serious game, “Defeat the Monster,” based on enhancing recognition and classification skills. The dataset consists of physiological and behavioral responses, annotated by experts. For technical validation, we report the distributions of engagement and intervention, and the signal-to-noise ratio of physiological signals.