Hugvie as a Therapeutic Agent in the Improvement of Interaction Skills in Children with Developmental Disabilities: An Exploratory Study.

In this exploratory study we examined the use of a Hugvie, a "huggable" pillow with an expressionless vague human form as a means of engaging and maintaining the attention of 8 children between the ages of 2 to 8 years old with a history of communication and language developmental delay and difficulties with social interaction as part of ongoing communication and speech therapy treatment in a speech pathology clinic. Results from 40 individual sessions indicate Hugvie to be an effective means of drawing and engaging the attention of the children and in facilitating the goals and objectives of the treatment plan when compared with conventional therapy aids such as toys and digital applications. The study validates previous observations related to robotic interfaces with minimalistic facial expression and sets a path for further inquiry into tangible speech therapy aids.