Robot NAO coaches kids with language delays in pilot study
NCT ID NCT07426328
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a friendly robot named NAO can help children aged 4-5 with developmental language disorder improve their communication and motivation. Fifty children will be split into two groups: one gets standard speech therapy, the other gets therapy sessions with NAO. Researchers will measure language skills, behavior, and how often children initiate communication.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- NAO humanoid social robot-assisted therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a new, engaging tool to help children with language disorders improve communication and social interaction.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early pilot study with only 50 children, so results may not apply widely. The robot is a motivational aid, not a cure, and benefits may be modest.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2025
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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4 to 5 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Developmental language disorder * Age between 4 and 5 years. Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of severe intellectual disability. * Diagnosis of neurological disorders. * Significant medical conditions that could interfere with study participation.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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IRCCS Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Messina,
Messina, Messina, 98124, Italy