Beyond Beneficiaries and Toward Creators: A Critical Literature Review on Robotics for Children With Disabilities (Poster 33)

• In Event: AERA Virtual Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

This paper presents a review of 113 studies on the application of robotics to children with disabilities published from 2000 to 2020. Disability studies in education (Gabel, 2005) and a strengths-based approach (Buntinx, 2013) informed our content analysis. The findings revealed that (a) most studies focused on therapy using socially assistive robots, (b) children with Autism Spectrum Disorder received the most attention, (c) few studies targeted young children, (d) studies included twice as many boys as girls, (e) quantitative research focusing on individual intervention was dominant, and (f) studies took place in diverse places, including schools and hospitals. In these existing studies, target children tended to be positioned as beneficiaries or consumers rather than creators or designers of advanced technology.

Authors

• Kyung Hwa Lee, University of Georgia

• Shinho Kim, University of Georgia - Athens

• Hyeungok Kang, University of Georgia