A proposal for an AI-based toy to encourage and assess symbolic play in autistic children

Bibliographic Data

ID21452648
AuthorsGiampiero Bartolomei (0009-0005-4293-7349, National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC), corresponding author), Beste Özcan (0000-0002-4340-7500, National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC)), Giovanni Granato (0000-0003-3050-0287, National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC)), Gianluca Baldassarre (0000-0002-1277-4447, National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC)), Valerio Sperati (0000-0002-0135-1078, National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC))
Year2025
Volume44
Issue14
Pages3390-3403
Publication date2025-08-27
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBehaviour and Information Technology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-929X • E-ISSN: 1362-3001
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0144929x.2025.2523478
OpenAlexW4412098054
LanguageEN
References cited58

In this paper, we provide an in-depth description of Echo, an interactive, smart toy, designed to encourage the symbolic play in autistic children. Symbolic play is a key competence in the cognitive development, and it is observed for instance when a child uses an object to represent other objects. The toy, characterised by an abstract shape, can autonomously recognise how the user handles it during play (e.g. mimicking the movements of a car, an aeroplane, a frog in this study) and produce, as rewarding feedback, distinctive sensory outputs such as colours and sounds, according to the detected imaginary toy. The categorisation, achieved with an average accuracy of 90.1%, is carried out in real-time by a Machine Learning (ML) model, which runs in the device's embedded electronics; the ML model was trained using the data by an onboard IMU sensor, which provides information about the toy movements (i.e. tilt, angular velocity, acceleration). The paper provides an overview of the toy design and functionalities, and presents the results of a feasibility test with neurotypical adult participants. Finally, it proposes Echo as a potential tool to encourage, through the AI-mediated sensory feedback, this pivotal competence; symbolic play is in fact often impaired or atypical in autistic children, and new technologies – such as Echo – can provide interesting novel opportunities for neurodevelopmental therapists and researchers

Autism · Cognitive psychology · Cognitive science · Developmental psychology · Psychotherapist · The Symbolic · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Child and Animal Learning Development · Communication · Computer Science · Psychology · Social Robot Interaction and HRI

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