ERIC Number: EJ1082532
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Dec
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
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Brief Report: A Pilot Summer Robotics Camp to Reduce Social Anxiety and Improve Social/Vocational Skills in Adolescents with ASD
Kaboski, Juhi R.; Diehl, Joshua John; Beriont, Jane; Crowell, Charles R.; Villano, Michael; Wier, Kristin; Tang, Karen
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v45 n12 p3862-3869 Dec 2015
This pilot study evaluated a novel intervention designed to reduce social anxiety and improve social/vocational skills for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The intervention utilized a shared interest in robotics among participants to facilitate natural social interaction between individuals with ASD and typically developing (TD) peers. Eight individuals with ASD and eight TD peers ages 12-17 participated in a weeklong robotics camp, during which they learned robotic facts, actively programmed an interactive robot, and learned "career" skills. The ASD group showed a significant decrease in social anxiety and both groups showed an increase in robotics knowledge, although neither group showed a significant increase in social skills. These initial findings suggest that this approach is promising and warrants further study.
Descriptors: Pilot Projects, Summer Programs, Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Intervention, Anxiety Disorders, Interpersonal Competence, Vocational Education, Skill Development, Robotics, Job Skills, Knowledge Level, Achievement Gains, Teaching Methods, Outcomes of Treatment, Adolescents
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
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Language: English
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