INNOVATIONS
Robot-Based Intervention to Reduce Challenging Behaviours in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Innovations & Impacts
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are becoming prevalent around the world. The estimated number of people with ASDs at all ages – currently at 70,000 – is projected to climb. Children with ASD are in the grip of communication defects, social interaction barriers and sensory issues, often producing maladaptive responses termed “challenging behaviours.” Such behaviours range from physical and verbal aggression, tantrums and even self-injurious behaviours, distressing parents and caregivers alike.
In 2016, Prof Cathering Wing-chee SO from the Department of Educational Psychology introduced social robots as a way of teaching children with ASD to communicate with others, and her research has proved that social robots are more effective than humans at teaching children with ASD. A pioneer in Hong Kong and beyond, the robot-based intervention, RABI (Robot for Autism Behavioral Intervention), is developed pertaining to the unique learning needs of individuals with ASDs, empirically proven to enhance their communication skills. Most importantly, the performance of these social robots will not be interfered with any children who may have emotional issues.
Later in 2020, with the support of the Sustainable Knowledge Transfer Project Fund (S-KPF), Professor SO founded a social enterprise, Science and Technology for Autism Remediation (STAR) Limited, taking her years of robot-based intervention and ASD research into the community to serve more children with ASD. STAR facilitates the social inclusion of these children by equipping them with necessary skills in their workplace and social lives, while promoting their economic self-sufficiency by actualising their potential. Hailed as an innovative and successful intervention, STAR’s programme is expected to inform policies in special needs education.
From Research to Market
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RESEARCH
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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IP & LICENSING
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SOCIAL IMPACT & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Professor SO has researched extensively on the language and gesture development in typically-developing children and children with autism. In 2015, Professor SO published two pieces of research on the gestural communication skills of children with ASD, finding that those children often struggle to learn culturally related gestures and their learning ability is less than one-third of other children’s. This discrepancy will affect their language learning, emotions, expressive ability and behaviour in the future. These findings attracted attention from within the local special education sector, and educators discussed with Professor SO the feasibility of using technology to help autistic children to learn gesture skills.
In 2020, Professor So established STAR in order to expand and benefit more autistic children. STAR and its RABI programme has dealt with the special learning needs of children with ASD aged 3 to 18. The curriculum encompasses self-care, emotional understanding and expression, conversation, and social skills training through personalised programmes. Special topics on sexual education and ways to handle bullying are also available.
For its trademarked invention “RABI®,” the team has won the Silver Medal in the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva 2022.
Since 2015, RABI has been adopted by over 20 NGOs and schools in Hong Kong and Macau, serving more than 2,200 individuals with ASDs aged 3 to 18. The programme offers them social and occupational training including self-care, communication skills and job skills. The use of social robots will continue realising improvements in more children with ASDs locally and even internationally, when the STAR team finishes translating their curriculum into English for special schools in Australia.
For its contribution to special education, the team has been recognized with funding and awards by various organizations and the government such as --
Autism Global Senior Leader for Hong Kong - International Society for Autism Research (2021)
Smart People (Smart Education & Learning) Gold Award - Hong Kong ICT Awards (2021)
服務模式獎 & 創新意念金獎 - HKCSS Best Practice Awards in Social Welfare (2021)
CUHK Autumn 2019 Social Venture Award (2019)
Smart People Merit Award - Hong Kong ICT Awards (2018)
Impact Incubator (SIEF) Prototype Fund
Nominated for the Innovation for Good Award
