Creative Design Of Sitting Hug Machine In The Treatment Of Students With Autism

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan R.O.C.
² Department of Digital Content and Technology, National Taichung University of Education, Taichung 40359, Taiwan R.O.C.

Abstract

In recent years, the increasing number of autistic patients has attracted the attention of governments around the world. Normerally, experts will use counseling strategies, drug treatment methods, or the Squeeze Machine, which designed on the basis of the sensory integration theory, to improve those autistic patients’ stereotypical behaviors performance. However, we found the existing machine on sale in the market is too bulky, more expensive and not user-friendly for those autistic students to use. Therefore, we had used expert interviews, practical operations, product analysis and then had performed several design improvements experiments, and had successfully completed the innovative prototype named ‘Sitting Hug Machine’ in an earlier research, and this design has won Taiwan’s invention patent certificate recently. The purpose of this paper is to introduce this new design and verify its enhancement and therapeutic effect. We adapted the model of A-B-A-B reversal of Single-Subject Experimental Design(SSED) with two junior high-school autistic students, and we got a lot of good results, including improvement of stereotypical behaviors performance, more flexible operation, lower machine cost and miniaturization of machine volume, etc. Finally, we hope that the results of this study can be further promoted to benefit more autistic patients and improve their stereotypical behaviors.