Efficacy trial showed that 12 biweekly sessions of in-clinic therapy achieved equivalent outcome to conventional treatment<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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TUESDAY, Jan. 6, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Social robots are efficacious and effective for children with autism, according to a study published online Dec. 24 in Science Robotics<\/em>.<\/p>\n Daniel David, Ph.D., from Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and colleagues presented two randomized clinical trials with different robot-assisted therapy implementations aimed at young children with autism to examine the efficacy and effectiveness of social robots. The efficacy trial included 69 children with a mean age of 4.4 years, while the second trial examining effectiveness in the real-world setting included 63 children with a mean age of 5.9 years.<\/p>\n The researchers found that 12 biweekly sessions of in-clinic robot-assisted therapy achieved equivalent outcomes to conventional treatment in the efficacy trial, with a significant increase in patient engagement. In the second trial, which substituted the clinical setup with a simpler one for use in schools or homes, equivalent outcomes to standard treatment were seen over the course of five sessions.<\/p>\n “Overall, the results contribute to an understanding of the relevance of technological solutions in treating children with ASD [autism spectrum disorder] and reducing the human workload that traditional therapies impose,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n