Engagement Is Not Transfer: A Withdrawal Study of a Consumer Social Robot with Autistic Children at Home

2026-04-02

AI Summary

This study investigates whether engagement with a social robot can translate into improved real-world social skills among autistic children. In an 8-week home-based randomized controlled trial involving 40 autistic children aged 5–9, the effects of sustained versus withdrawn use of a commercial social robot (Qrobot) were compared. Outcomes—including anxiety, social motivation, emotion understanding, and empathic behaviors—were assessed using standardized measures and caregiver interviews. Results indicate that while continuous robot use significantly reduced anxiety, the withdrawal group demonstrated greater improvements in social motivation, emotion understanding, and empathy. The findings challenge the assumption that high engagement with social robots inherently facilitates social transfer, instead proposing a “handover versus isolation” mechanism: timely removal of the robot may encourage children to redirect their social engagement toward human interactions.

Abstract

This study examines whether engagement with social robots translates into improved human-directed social abilities in autistic children. We conducted an 8-week home-based randomized controlled trial with 40 children aged 5--9 using a commercial social robot (Qrobot). Families were assigned to either continued robot access or robot withdrawal. Quantitative measures and caregiver interviews assessed anxiety, social motivation, emotion inference, and empathy. Results showed that continued robot access significantly reduced anxiety, confirming strong affective benefits and high usability. However, children in the withdrawal group demonstrated greater improvements in social motivation, emotion understanding, and empathic behaviors toward caregivers and peers. Qualitative findings revealed a "handoff versus siloing" pattern: withdrawal promoted reorientation toward human social interaction, while continued access concentrated engagement within the child--robot dyad and limited transfer to real-world contexts. We interpret these results as evidence that high engagement does not guarantee social transfer.

Problem

• social robots
• autism
• engagement
• social transfer
• human-directed social abilities

Innovation

• social robot withdrawal
• transfer of social skills
• autism intervention
• human-robot interaction
• randomized controlled trial