We examined peer-reviewed studies in order to understand the current status of empirically-based evidence on the clinical applications of robots in the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Studies are organized into four broad categories: (a) the response of individuals with ASD to robots or robot-like behavior in comparison to human behavior, (b) the use of robots to elicit behaviors, (c) the use of robots to model, teach, and/or practice a skill, and (d) the use of robots to provide feedback on performance. A critical review of the literature revealed that most of the findings are exploratory and have methodological limitations that make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the clinical utility of robots. Finally, we outline the research needed to determine the incremental validity of this technique.

This article gives a comprehensive description of a theory for the efficient assessment of knowledge. The essential concept is that the knowledge state of a subject with regard to a specified field of information can be represented by a particular subset of questions or problems that the subject is capable of solving. The family of all knowledge states forms the know/edge space. It is assumed that if 2 subsets K and K' of questions are assumed to be states in a knowledge space X, then K U K is also assumed to be a state in Ji. Such a theory is consistent with the idea that at least some of the notions in the field may be acquired from different sets of prerequisites. Various aspects of the theory are discussed. In particular, the problem of constructing a knowledge space in practice is analyzed in detail. A first sketch of the knowledge space can be obtained by consulting expert teachers in the field. The mathematical theory necessary to render this consultation efficient is given. This preliminary construction can then be tested and refined on the basis of empirical data. To this end, a probabilistic version of the theory is developed, which is similar in spirit to some psychometric models, but it is grounded on the concept of a knowledge space rather than on that of skill or ability. An exemplary application of this probabilistic theory to a high school mathematics test is described, based on a sample of several hundred students. By standard likelihood ratio methods, it is shown how the preliminary knowledge space can be gradually refined, and the number of possible knowledge states substantially reduced. Two classes of Markovian knowledge assessment algorithms are outlined. Most of the results presented summarize previous articles published in various technical

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This pilot study evaluated a novel intervention designed to reduce social anxiety and improve social/vocational skills for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The intervention utilized a shared interest in robotics among participants to facilitate natural social interaction between individuals with ASD and typically developing (TD) peers. Eight individuals with ASD and eight TD peers ages 12-17 participated in a weeklong robotics camp, during which they learned robotic facts, actively programmed an interactive robot, and learned "career" skills. The ASD group showed a significant decrease in social anxiety and both groups showed an increase in robotics knowledge, although neither group showed a significant increase in social skills. These initial findings suggest that this approach is promising and warrants further study.

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