IBCCES Awards ASK NAO with the Blue Ribbon Award for Its Innovative Approach in Autism

NEW YORK - Jan. 29, 2014 - PRLog -- International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), announces that the ASK NAO solution has been awarded the Blue Ribbon for its innovative approach to engaging students with autism.

The ASK NAO solution, created by the French company Aldebaran Robotics, assists teachers with their day-to-day requirements while provides children with autism with a friend to help them reach new levels of greatness. The solution was created by customizing NAO, Aldebaran’s humanoid robot, with a number of behavioral applications to foster the development of both social and learning skills in children with special needs. With more than 5,000 units sold around the world, NAO is the most widely-used humanoid robot in the fields of education and research. NAO combines a host of interactive, autonomous, and completely programmable technologies, and is well on its way to becoming a robotic companion for individuals.

“Most children on the autism spectrum have a natural attraction towards technology and NAO's humanoid shape creates a perfect link between technology and humanity,” said Olivier Joubert, Neuropsychology, Ph.D. and Autism Business Unit Manager at Aldebaran Robotics. “We have developed educational games that allow children to work on verbal and non-verbal communication, emotional intelligence, mimicking, and even basic academic skills.”

To help ease the integration of NAO into classrooms Aldebaran Robotics created a user-friendly application manager and online interface to support teachers as well as help answer some of their core special education teaching needs. In addition the interface works to improve the communication channels between the various education professionals working with the child and their parents in gain a better, more well-rounded, understanding of the child.

Aldebaran Robotics has collaborated with teachers and researchers to develop applications inspired by a variety of different methods and theories including ABA, PECS, TEACCH, DENVER, and SCERTS. The aim of these applications is to help children develop social and learning skills through encouragement and rewards, making it possible to positively stimulate them, give them confidence and help them move toward greater independence.

Though research in robotics assistance in special education is still in its infancy a number of large universities currently work with NAO to assist children with autism including Vanderbilt University, University of Notre Dame, and the University of Connecticut. By working with these partners as well as teachers, therapists, researchers, and the autism community the ASK NAO solution is able to continue to evolve to meet the needs of a larger and more diverse population in special education.

"Using ASK NAO has allowed us to captivate and engage children that have been unreachable until now" says Julie Bernier, Behavior Specialist at Moody School in Haverhill, MA. The ASK NAO solution is driving special education into the future, are you ready to be part of it?

For more information contact:

Lyndsey Herrman, IBCCES
877.717.6543 (tel:908-407-2755) | lyndsey@ibcces.org (mailto:lisa@edweb.net)

ASK NAO
Alia Pyros, Marketing and Communications Manager for Special Education, Aldebaran Robotics

617.963.0398 | www.asknao.com

About International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES)

IBCCES, is the largest independent credentialing and continuing education organizations with a focus in special needs and human services. The IBCCES is the accrediting body for the Certified Autism Specialist (CAS) and the Autism Certificate (AC) programs. IBCCES certification programs recognize professionals in the field of Autism who have met predetermined standards in their training, experience and performance.  CAS and AC professionals live and work in the U.S. and more than 40 countries around the world.

About ASK NAO (Autism Solution for Kids)

ASK NAO (Autism Solution for Kids) was created by Aldebaran Robotics to customize NAO, our humanoid robot, in order to support teachers with in-class tasks and help children with autism reach new levels of greatness. This initiative was developed after noticing that many children with Autism seem impulsively attracted to technology therefore allowing NAO to become the perfect bridge between technology and our human social world.

About Aldebaran Robotics

Founded in 2005 by Bruno Maisonnier and now established in France, the US and China, ALDEBARAN ROBOTICS designs, produces and sells humanoid robots in order to contribute to the betterment of humankind. There are currently over 5,000 NAO robots operating in schools and universities in over 70 countries worldwide for education and research. ALDEBARAN ROBOTICS has a team of 400 people, 40% of whom are engineers and doctors, involved in developing and producing its robots.