Developing interaction scenarios with a humanoid robot to encourage visual perspective taking skills in children with autism – preliminary proof of concept tests

The study described in this article is part of our contribution to the Horizon 2020 Babyrobot project, where we have created different play scenarios for children with autism to playfully explore elements that are important in developing Visual Perspective Taking (VPT) skills. Individuals with autism often have difficulty with Theory of Mind (TOM) and the understanding that other individuals have their own thoughts, beliefs, plans and perspectives. Visual Perspective Taking is the ability to view the world from another individual’s perspective, e.g. understanding that other individuals have a different line of sight to oneself, and also understanding that two or more people viewing the same object from different points in space might see different things. It is believed that TOM and VPT may share common cognitive processes. Our study aims to help children with autism develop their VPT skills using the Kaspar robot. Using a robot to teach children about VPT has a distinct advantage in the fact that what the robot can see can be shown directly to the children using the cameras in the robot’s eyes and a screen to show the robot’s perspective. This article presents the preliminary test of these concepts during interaction sessions with children. It also presents the testing and further development of the play scenarios specifically in aspects related to VPT