Toward automatic motivator selection for autism behavior intervention therapy

Area of Science:

• Artificial Intelligence in Education
• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education Technology

Background:

• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit low interest in academics and disruptive behaviors during assignments.
• Motivational variables in interventions improve behavior and academic performance in children with ASD, but their effectiveness varies individually.
• Selecting the optimal motivator is crucial but challenging due to individual differences in response to contingent motivators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the challenge of selecting effective motivators for children with ASD by employing reinforcement learning.
• To develop an adaptive system that personalizes motivator selection based on influential factors and individual preferences.
• To integrate this motivator selection feature into a mobile application for special education plan coordination.

Main Methods:

• The problem of motivator selection was modeled as a Markov decision process (MDP).
• A Q-learning algorithm was utilized to solve the MDP, considering factors from applied behavior analysis and learner preferences.
• A mobile application was developed to implement the proposed solution and evaluated through a study with educators.

Main Results:

• Preliminary results showed that the motivator selection feature enhanced the usability of the mobile application.
• The Q-learning algorithm demonstrated promising performance, with recommendations improving over time.
• Educators found the feature helpful in their decision-making process for selecting motivators.

Conclusions:

• Reinforcement learning offers a viable approach to personalize motivator selection for children with ASD.
• The developed mobile application and its adaptive feature show potential for improving educational support for children with ASD.
• The system's ability to adapt and improve recommendations over time suggests a promising direction for individualized educational interventions.