Are Robots Ready to Deliver Autism Inclusion? A Critical Review

Explore a critical review of human-robot interaction (HRI) research focused on autism inclusion in this 15-minute conference talk from the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Analyze how current HRI studies may perpetuate systemic inequalities and misrepresentations of autistic individuals. Examine findings from a mixed-methods analysis of 142 papers published between 2016 and 2022, revealing issues in autism definitions, study designs, participant recruitment, and result interpretations. Discover how HRI research potentially stigmatizes autism through pathologization, gender and age-based essentialism, and power imbalances. Learn about the exclusion of autistic perspectives, particularly from understudied groups, in approximately 90% of the analyzed research. Consider recommendations for more inclusive future work, including broadening autistic participation, expanding research objectives beyond clinical use, and diversifying collaborations, foundational works, and participant demographics.