Teaching Pepper and Nao to reorder stories with a social robot
Official title: A Story for Pepper and Nao: Applying the Learning by Teaching Paradigm in Children With Patterns of Neuromotor Impairment
Run by IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris · NCT06797050 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try whether children aged 7–16 with neuromotor impairments can improve attention, working memory, planning, and narrative skills by teaching social robots to reorder stories.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 7 Years to 16 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 80 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris Academic / other |
| Locations | 3 sites (Bosisio Parini, Lecco and 2 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | April 1, 2025 |
| Main results expected | September 1, 2026 |
| Study ends | October 30, 2026 |
| Registry record updated | April 2, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06797050 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Children aged 7–16 with neuromotor impairment and at least one WISC-IV/V cognitive index >70 who can participate in robot-based sessions at the participating Italian centers.
✕Probably not a fit
Children with severe neurological, motor, or sensory deficits or psychiatric conditions that make participation infeasible, or those with global cognitive indices below the inclusion threshold, are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
The intervention uses a Learning-by-Teaching paradigm in which children teach social robots (Pepper and Nao) to reorder figurative stories and action sequences that target visual-perceptual analysis, selective attention, working memory, narrative organisation, logical reasoning, and motor planning. Training sessions are delivered at specialized neurorehabilitation centers and include standardized tasks while recording behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement during the interaction. The protocol also measures whether improvements transfer to untrained executive functions such as inhibition, working memory, and planning. Engagement is evaluated across emotional, cognitive, and behavioral domains to understand the robot's role in motivation and participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could strengthen executive skills and classroom-relevant abilities like attention and narrative comprehension in children with neuromotor impairments.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies indicate social robots can boost engagement and Learning-by-Teaching can raise motivation and some cognitive gains, but robust evidence for generalised executive-function improvements in neuromotor-impaired children is still limited.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Children characterized by neuromotor impairment * Presence of at least one cognitive index \>70 at WISC-IV or WISC V * Age between 7 and 16 years at the time of recruitment Exclusion Criteria: * Severe neurological, motor, or sensory deficit such as to preclude the feasibility of training * Psychiatric comorbidity such as to preclude the feasibility of training
Where it's running
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IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris
Calambrone, Pisa, Italy Recruiting -
IRCCS Eugenio Medea
Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy Active not recruiting -
IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Naz.le C.Mondino
Pavia, Pavia, Italy Active not recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Giuseppina Sgandurra, PhD, MD
- Email: giuseppina.sgandurra@fsm.unipi.it
- Phone: 050/886233
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.