Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40397050›Full record

ArticleJournal of autism and developmental disorders2025

The Effects of Robots on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-analysis.

Weihao Wang, Jian Xiao, Long Diao

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Weihao Wang *Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China.
Jian Xiao *Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China.
Long DiaoSchool of Politics and Public Administration, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541006, China. eminem7436520@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-9891-0018

Funding

National Social Science Fund General Project of the 'Fourteenth Five-Year Plan' for Educational Studies on the Theoretical Construction and Practical Pathways of Localized Education for Rural Children in Rural Revitalization BFA230088
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of robotic interventions in fostering the development of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to identify key factors influencing these effects through a meta-analysis. A meta-analysis was conducted on 14 studies published between 2015 and 2024, incorporating 58 independent effect sizes and data from 408 children with ASD. A random-effects model was used to compute overall effect sizes, and moderator analyses were performed to examine factors influencing the impact of robotic interventions. The meta-analysis revealed that robotic interventions had a substantial positive impact on the development of children with ASD, with an overall effect size of d = 0.829 (95% CI = [0.657, 1.000]), indicating a large effect. Significant variability in effect sizes was observed based on the functional role of robots, specific developmental domains assessed, geographical regions, experimental design, and the inclusion of control groups. Notably, the effect size decreased as teacher involvement in interventions diminished. Additionally, meta-regression analysis showed that longer instructional session durations were positively associated with intervention effectiveness. Robotic interventions are effective in supporting the development of children with ASD, particularly when teachers are actively involved and instructional sessions are of sufficient duration. Future research should focus on optimizing intervention protocols and exploring the impact of different robot functionalities and regional contexts.

Indexed as

Autism IndexAutism spectrum disorderMeta-analysisPhysical controlRobotsSocial skills

Identifiers

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.