Citation

Moganadas, Sharmila Rani and Goh, Mei Ling and Nun, Shwu Huey and Holthaus, Patrick and Lakatos, Gabriella and Robins, Ben and Amirabdollahian, Farshid (2026) An Exploratory Study on Humanoid Robot KASPAR in Supporting Social Skills for Children with ASD in Malaysia. In: Intelligent Governance in the Big Data Era. Springer Nature Link, pp. 421-429. ISBN 978-3-032-14697-7, 978-3-032-14698-4

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Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that affects many aspects of an individual’s life, including social interaction and communication. Its prevalence among children has become a critical concern worldwide, including Malaysia. Existing intervention strategies mainly focus on behavioural therapies or educational support. Technological advancements have gained significant attention from scholars and practitioners to enhance interventions for individuals with ASD. Preliminary findings suggest that the use of social humanoid robots can provide a highly structured environment and non-threatening medium through which children can practice and enhance their interpersonal skills. However, research exploring the intervention of humanoid robots in supporting social skills among ASD children in Malaysia remains sparse. Thus, this study aims to examine the potential benefits of interventions with the humanoid robot, KASPAR, in improving the social skills of children with ASD across three primary schools in Malaysia that are equipped with a special education unit. A total of 25 students participated in this study. Students from each school engaged in three sessions with KASPAR through interactive activities like turn-taking games and imitation tasks over a period of three weeks, between March and April 2024. This study employed the non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test to determine if there were any changes observed before and after the intervention with KASPAR in students’ social skills. Results show improvement in participants’ social interaction, social communication, emotional intelligence and social behaviour dimensions. The findings confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of humanoid robotic intervention, indicating it as a promising approach to support social skills development in children with ASD.

Item Type:	Book Section
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Humanoid robot
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman > HQ503-1064 The family. Marriage. Home > HQ767.8-792.2 Children. Child development Including child rearing, child life, play, socialization, children's rights
Divisions:	Faculty of Business (FOB)
Depositing User:	Ms Suzilawati Abu Samah
Date Deposited:	04 Jun 2026 06:16
Last Modified:	08 Jun 2026 07:27
URII:	http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/id/eprint/15933

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