Advances in Mental Health Care: Five N = 1 Studies on the Effects of the Robot Seal Paro in Adults With Severe Intellectual Disabilities

Background: The evidence base for psychological treatments for autism and mood disorders in people with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (ID) is limited. Recent promising robot-based innovations in mental health care suggest that robot-based animal assisted therapy (AAT) could be useful...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mental health research in intellectual disabilities 2017-10, Vol.10 (4), p.309-320
Main Authors: Wagemaker, Eline, Dekkers, Tycho J., Agelink van Rentergem, Joost A., Volkers, Karin M., Huizenga, Hilde M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Alertness
Animal assisted therapy
Animals
Emotional Response
Health Services
Intellectual disabilities
Intellectual Disability
Interaction
Interpersonal Competence
Mental Health
Mental health care
Moderate Intellectual Disability
moderate/severe intellectual disabilities in adults
mood
N = 1 analysis
Observation
Outcome Measures
Program Effectiveness
Psychological Patterns
Rating Scales
Regression (Statistics)
robot-based animal assisted therapy
Robotics
Robots
Severe Intellectual Disability
Therapy
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Summary:Background: The evidence base for psychological treatments for autism and mood disorders in people with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (ID) is limited. Recent promising robot-based innovations in mental health care suggest that robot-based animal assisted therapy (AAT) could be useful to improve social skills and mood in people with moderate to severe ID. This study explores the efficacy of the innovative therapeutic robot seal Paro on alertness and mood in adults with moderate to severe ID. Method: Five N = 1 studies were performed in adults (59-70 years) with moderate to severe ID. During a control phase of four weeks, participants could interact with a plush seal, which was replaced by the robot seal Paro during an equally long treatment phase. Results: In one participant, alertness and mood, as rated by supervisors, improved during the treatment phase as compared to the baseline phase. The other four participants did not improve on either of the outcome measures. Conclusion: We conclude that robot-based AAT does not have clear beneficial effects on alertness and mood in adults with moderate to severe ID, but that positive interactions with the robot seal could be of therapeutic value in itself.
ISSN:1931-5864
1931-5872
DOI:10.1080/19315864.2017.1320601