A Story for Pepper & Nao

Официальное название

A Story for Pepper and Nao: Applying the Learning by Teaching Paradigm in Children With Patterns of Neuromotor Impairment

Обзор

The aim of the present study is to improve cognitive processes that are frequently impaired in children characterised by neuromotor impairment, such as the skills of visual-perceptual analysis and selective attention, working memory, narrative organisation, logical-inferential reasoning and motor planning. For this purpose, a task of reordering figurative stories and action sequences, which include the aforementioned processes, will be used through an innovative Learning by Teaching training paradigm with a social robot. Furthermore, the study aims to verify the children's level of behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement during the interaction with the social robot and to test the generalisation effects of the intervention on other processes, such as working memory, inhibition and planning.

Подробное описание

The use of social robots in children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Disabilities is becoming increasingly common in both educational and clinical settings. Several studies have shown that the presence of social robots during learning can increase children's engagement, consequently improving academic achievement, as the presence of the robot appears to positively influence attention, satisfaction, and engagement in the proposed activities. Engagement is a complex component that includes emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects. The emotional component concerns the emotions felt during the activity, the cognitive component involves attention and active participation, and the behavioral component refers to the user's proactivity and adaptability in the interaction. An innovative approach of using social robots is the Learning by Teaching paradigm, where children teach the robots, thus promoting their sense of self-efficacy and motivation, as well as the ability to put themselves in each other's shoes (Theory of Mind). This method helps develop Executive Functions, such as planning, problem solving and reasoning, which are crucial to various aspects of daily life. Skills that are often vulnerable in children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Disabilities, consequently associating with poor performance in school learning, including text comprehension and production, which require good decoding skills, logical reasoning, selective attention, interference control, working memory and metacognitive strategies. Several studies have also shown that children with neuromotor impairment pictures, such as Motor Coordination Disorder (DCD) or Cerebral Palsy (CP), often have difficulties in motor planning skills, which become worse with the specificity of the motor problem. A "picture sequencing" task, which involves arranging pictures in order to create a finalized story or movement, can support multiple higher cognitive processes, such as working memory, attention, reasoning, and planning. This task, embedded in the Learning by Teaching paradigm with a social robot, could amplify the development of these processes due to the high levels of engagement and the requirement to take on the robot's role as teacher. In order to test the effectiveness of the treatment in improving the skills of visual-perceptual analysis, selective attention, working memory, narrative organization, logical-inferential reasoning and motor planning, 80 children with neuromotor difficulties will be randomly assigned to either the Experimental Group, which will immediately begin treatment with the social robot for about 4 months on a biweekly schedule, or to the Control Group, which will begin training after about 4 months. In addition, the study aims to test the children's level of behavioral, cognitive and emotional engagement during interaction with the social robot, through the use of sensors, eye-tracking and video cameras; as well as to test the generalization effects of the intervention on other processes, such as working memory, inhibition and planning.

Вмешательства

• Устройство Training in reordering figurative stories with a social robot through the Learning by Teaching approach
  A test session of the 'picture sequencing' task with the social robot is planned. The selected children will undergo an initial neuropsychological, motor and school learning assessment and will be divided into Group 1 and Group 2: Group 1 (Experimental) will be offered training with the social robot, while Group 2 (Control) will continue standard care. Both groups will be re-evaluated after approximately about 4 months. After which Group 2 will be able to start treatment. After about 4 months, t

Первичные конечные точки

• score of Picture Arrangement subtest at WISC-III [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of a Motor Planning test [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]

Вторичные конечные точки (12)

• score of Corsi block-tapping subtest at the BVS-Corsi [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of Tower of London test [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of the Sustained Attention subtest at the Leiter-3 [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function for parents (BRIEF-2) [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of Inhibition subtest at the NEPSY-II [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of Verbal Fluency subtest at the NEPSY-II [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of Animal Sorting subtest at the NEPSY-II [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of Go/No-Go subtest at the TeleFE [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of Text comprehension test at Prove MT-3, MT Avanzate and MT 16-19 [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of Invent a story task [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of TVPS-4 test [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]
• score of DCDDaily-Q [Срок оценки: 1-16 months]

Критерии участия

Критерии включения

• 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

Критерии исключения

• Severe neurological, motor, or sensory deficit such as to preclude the feasibility of training
• Psychiatric comorbidity such as to preclude the feasibility of training

Критерии приведены из реестра в оригинале (на английском). Окончательную оценку соответствия проводит исследовательский центр.

Здоровые добровольцы: Нет

Дизайн исследования

Распределение

Рандомизированное

Модель

Перекрёстный дизайн

Маскирование

Открытое

Основная цель

Лечение

Центры проведения

Италия · 3 центра

• IRCCS Eugenio Medea — Bosisio Parini
• IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Naz.le C.Mondino — Pavia
• IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris — Calambrone

Публикации

• Wotherspoon J, Whittingham K, Sheffield J, Boyd RN. Cognition and learning difficulties in a representative sample of school-aged children with cerebral palsy. Res Dev Disabil. 2023 Jul;138:104504. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104504. Epub 2023 Apr 24. PMID 37099882
• Fuglerud KS, Solheim I. The Use of Social Robots for Supporting Language Training of Children. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2018;256:401-408. PMID 30371501
• Fluss J, Lidzba K. Cognitive and academic profiles in children with cerebral palsy: A narrative review. Ann Phys Rehabil Med. 2020 Oct;63(5):447-456. doi: 10.1016/j.rehab.2020.01.005. Epub 2020 Feb 19. PMID 32087307
• Fiorini L, D'Onofrio G, Sorrentino A, Cornacchia Loizzo FG, Russo S, Ciccone F, Giuliani F, Sancarlo D, Cavallo F. The Role of Coherent Robot Behavior and Embodiment in Emotion Perception and Recognition During Human-Robot Interaction: Experimental Study. JMIR Hum Factors. 2024 Jan 26;11:e45494. doi: 10.2196/45494. PMID 38277201
• Fiorini L, De Mul M, Fabbricotti I, Limosani R, Vitanza A, D'Onofrio G, Tsui M, Sancarlo D, Giuliani F, Greco A, Guiot D, Senges E, Cavallo F. Assistive robots to improve the independent living of older persons: results from a needs study. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2021 Jan;16(1):92-102. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2019.1642392. Epub 2019 Jul 22. PMID 31329000
• Dionne E, Bolduc ME, Majnemer A, Beauchamp MH, Brossard-Racine M. Academic Challenges in Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2023;43(1):34-57. doi: 10.1080/01942638.2022.2073801. Epub 2022 May 24. PMID 35611495
• Diamond A. Executive functions. Annu Rev Psychol. 2013;64:135-68. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750. Epub 2012 Sep 27. PMID 23020641
• Di Lieto MC, Pecini C, Castro E, Inguaggiato E, Cecchi F, Dario P, Cioni G, Sgandurra G. Empowering Executive Functions in 5- and 6-Year-Old Typically Developing Children Through Educational Robotics: An RCT Study. Front Psychol. 2020 Feb 5;10:3084. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03084. eCollection 2019. PMID 32116879

Идентификаторы

NCT: NCT06797050 · LbyT

Первоисточники (государственные реестры)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (NIH, США)

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