Brief Report: The Effectiveness of Hugging a Huggable Device Before Having a Conversation with an Unfamiliar Person for Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Hirokazu Kumazaki, Hidenobu Sumioka, Taro Muramatsu and 6 others
PMID 34292488WHAT IT FOUND
Ten autistic young men reported feeling more comfortable and secure after hugging a human-shaped cushion before talking to a stranger or robot.
Their physiological stress markers also decreased, though the study was too small to prove the cushion alone caused this.
Key findings
01Participants reported significantly higher psychological security after hugging the Hugvie cushion compared to resting normally, both before conversations with humans and robots.
02Electrodermal activity, a marker of stress, was significantly lower after hugging the cushion when talking to a robot, but only marginally lower when talking to a human.
03The study had very low statistical power, with post-hoc analysis suggesting 14 to 22 participants would be needed to reliably detect the observed effects.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (n=10) and the study was underpowered. All participants were male and had an IQ of 70 or higher, so results do not generalize to females or those with intellectual disability. The study lacked a control group of non-autistic individuals. The 5-minute intervals between sessions may not have been sufficient for physiological stress markers to return to baseline. Sensory processing was assessed only via self-report, not direct observation.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, JST CREST, and Moonshot R&D.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as proof that hugging a cushion reduces stress for all autistic people. The study included only ten males with average or above-average IQ, and the physiological results were mixed and underpowered. The self-reported benefits may not apply to clients with different sensory profiles or communication abilities.