Artificial Intelligence in Rehabilitation Targeting the Participation of Children and Youth With Disabilities: Scoping Review

Editorial reading guide · Independence

Whose goal is an AI rehabilitation tool helping my child pursue?

Centers Independence on participation goals meaningful to a child. Despite extensive robotics and human-machine interaction research, only one included intervention was tailored to individually reported participation needs and only one described individual goal-setting. This exposes a gap between personalized technology and genuinely person-defined aims.

Study context

94 included studies of AI-based pediatric rehabilitation interventions targeting participation in valued activities

Age / stage: Children and youth with disabilities or diagnosed health conditions; ages vary across studies

Read with three questions

1. How did the review define participation rather than impairment or task performance?
2. What does the scarcity of individual goal-setting tell us about claims of personalization?
3. Which activity would my child and family choose as a meaningful outcome before discussing a device?

Keep the limits in view

This maps the field rather than pooling effectiveness or certifying individual products. Participation definitions varied; English-only inclusion and search decisions may miss evidence. Most interventions were delivered in person and group-tailored, so remote or individually tailored home benefits remain uncertain.