Allen, Makenna and Bui, Julianna and Saebi, Kiana and Zhang, McKenna (2024) Supporting pediatric ADL skill development using social robotics. Masters thesis, Stanbridge University.
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Abstract
This study aimed to analyze how parental perceptions and concerns about social robotic assistance affect activities of daily living (ADL) interventions for their child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We explored this topic due to the growing use of social robotics in the medical field and emerging studies showing positive therapeutic outcomes from robotic integration. Our research question was: How do the perceptions of parents of children with ASD influence their likelihood of incorporating social robots into ADL interventions? We hypothesized that parents would have concerns about incorporating robotic assistance, making them less likely to integrate it into ADL tasks. To test this, we used a Google Form survey embedded with educational videos about social robots’ roles in ADL interventions, supplemented by Likert scale questions and open-ended qualitative questions. Data from seven participants were analyzed using a Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test and Spearman’s correlation for quantitative results, and thematic analysis for qualitative responses. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test revealed a significant increase in interest/benefit responses after watching the educational videos but no significant change in comfort level. Spearman’s correlation showed a significant relationship between the current use of daily technology and both interest and comfort in using social robotics and between prior knowledge of social robotics and interest/comfort in their use. Qualitative analysis revealed key concerns regarding privacy, affordability, and usability but also highlighted potential benefits such as improved routine engagement. These results suggest that educational interventions can positively influence parents' willingness to consider social robotics in ADL interventions for their children. However, concerns remain that must be addressed to increase comfort levels.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | MSOTOC013 |
| Subjects: | R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics |
| Depositing User: | Kareena Yashko |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Mar 2026 20:27 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Mar 2026 20:27 |
| URI: | http://repository.stanbridge.edu/id/eprint/216 |
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