Could Robots Help Unlock the Mystery of Autism Spectrum Disorder?
From: Medical Design Technology - 10/02/2015

Robots, may hold a key to promoting better human interactions for some
children with autism.

The road to this research began for Stéphanie Walsh Matthews, a professor in
the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, when she was invited
to collaborate with an international consortium researching robots and
working with the elderly. Researchers developing cute and playful robots also
noticed that children with ASD actively engaged with them. For one child,
interacting with a robot prompted him to speak - something he had not done
before.

The end goal is not to consign children with autism to non-human
interactions, though. The good news is the experience of interacting with
robots suggests the children come away better able to communicate with other
humans.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2015/10/could-robots-help-unlock-mystery-autism-spectrum-disorder

Links:
Stephanie Walsh Matthews
http://www.ryerson.ca/artsandcontemporarystudies/who_we_are/matthews.html

Q & A with Professor Stephanie Walsh Matthews
http://www.ryerson.ca/graduate/programs/comcult/areas-of-study/research-profiles/walsh-matthews-2014.html

Ryerson study looks at use of robots in speech development
http://www.charlatan.ca/2014/10/ryerson-study-looks-at-use-of-robots-in-speech-development