Design and Development of a Companion Toy for Children with Autism

Abstract

Globally, there are more than 67 million people with autism, 40% of whom are children, and the number of children with autism in China has reached more than 2 million, with a rising trend year by year. The lack of social skills is the core deficit of autistic children, which seriously affects their social development. Early intervention treatment is especially important for autistic children. With the progress of the times and the development of technology, the research on the use of modern technology for autism intervention is increasing, and based on the characteristics of autistic children's "pro-objects", more and more intelligent products play an important role in helping autistic children's rehabilitation and education. In China, there is less research on products for autistic children, especially on intelligent products, and most of the intelligent products on the market are designed abroad. Against this background, this project explores the needs of autistic children in intervention therapy by studying the social interaction ability of autistic children, exploring the design strategies related to them and practicing the design from the perspective of smart companion products guiding the social intervention of autistic children.