129 Session 7
Papers Topic - Artificial Intelligence Advancing Comprehensive Early Childhood Intervention P7.01 AI-Enhanced Assessment and Intervention Tools for Communication Disorders
Presenting Author: Shabnam Abdoola (United Arab Emirates) Affiliation: United Arab Emirates University; University of Pretoria Co-Author: Carmen Milton
P7.03 Use of Robots to Elicit Communication and Social Engagement for Young Children With High Support Needs Presenting Author: Eunice Meng Yin Tan (Singapore) Affiliation: Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Co-Authors: David Ang, Edwin Chen, J.R. Karthik, Joice Raveendran, Ferida Vincent Raj, Kelvin Tan, Sean Tan, Ying Ying Teo, Zona Yong Japan has been at the forefront of robotics technologies. The LOVOT robot from Japan is a lifelike and highly sophisticated mobile robot that can navigate its environment and recognize people. This study is about the utilization of LOVOT robots as therapy companions. It aims to build evidence on the benefits of using robots to elicit communication and social engagement in young children with high support needs. This is a mixed-method study. 30 participants were selected to join a 3-month program with 12 weekly sessions. This study was conducted over 18 months. Caregivers (proxies) responded to the surveys and interviews based on domains like: communication, psychological and emotional well-being, social engagement, and physical. Caregivers found the 12 sessions beneficial to their child and they saw improvement in all the different domains. For several decades, digitality has become increasingly important in all areas of life. A wide range of approaches have also been developed in the context of early childhood intervention (ECI) in order to complement or even re-conceptualize practical work through digital tools. To this end, various methods have been developed worldwide, and diverse priorities have been set. However, in the ECI system in Germany, as well as in the scientific monitoring of ECI in Germany, the use of digital tools has received relatively little attention and is also rarely applied in practice. This presentation begins with a brief overview of global developments in the context of digitality and ECI, followed by a specific focus on the situation in Germany. This perspective is supplemented by the results of a nationwide online survey in which 323 professionals were asked about the use of digital tools and their attitudes towards their application. This presentation examines the potential of AI-enhanced tools to improve assessment and intervention in communication disorders. It focuses on how AI-driven applications can facilitate non-invasive screenings for speech, language, and social communication disorders, enabling earlier support and reducing delays in intervention. A literature-based review was conducted to explore recent advancements in AI tools for communication disorder assessments. The analysis highlights their advantages in efficiency, diagnostic accuracy, and accessibility compared to traditional methods, while also addressing ethical concerns such as data privacy and security for vulnerable populations. AI tools enhance diagnostic accuracy by analyzing speech patterns and social communication cues while integrating multimodal data for a comprehensive assessment. They improve efficiency and accessibility, but challenges include algorithm validation, potential biases, and the need for clinician training. Data privacy, particularly for children, remains a critical concern.AI offers significant benefits in communication disorder assessment, providing valuable insights with reduced time and cost. Responsible implementation, ethical safeguards, and further research are essential to ensure these technologies fulfill their transformative potential. P7.02 Digital Horizons: Transforming Early Childhood Intervention From Global Trends to German Practices Presenting Author: Marianne Irmler (Germany) Affiliation: University of Applied Sciences Kiel, Germany
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