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research article

Robot-assisted handwriting training: An intervention for children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Zou, Jianling
•
Gauthier, Soizic
•
Archambault, Dominique
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December 1, 2025
Computers in Human Behavior Reports

Social robots offer promising possibilities for special education, particularly in supporting children with complex neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) who often experience learning difficulties, such as challenges with handwriting skills. However, most studies to date have been short-term and conducted in controlled lab settings. This study presents a robot-assisted intervention using a Wizard of Oz interface, the R2C3 system (Rehabilitation Robotic Companion for Children and Caregivers), to support handwriting reeducation in a real, long-term educational setting. The intervention adopted a learning-by-teaching scenario involving 18 children with NDD and dysgraphia, alongside 8 caregivers (teachers or occupational therapists), who participated in 9 handwriting-focused sessions facilitated through a serious game. Results showed strong engagement with low attrition (2 dropouts) and substantial improvement: 73.3 % of children improved their handwriting scores by at least one standard deviation on the BHK test. Improvement was significantly associated with engagement in the game and the nature of verbal exchanges, emphasizing the social robot's role in the design of our sessions. In a subsample of 11 children, sessions with the R2C3 system were compared with a session where the robot operated autonomously with minimal behaviors, further underscoring the impact of the robot's proactive behaviors on engagement and outcomes.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100799
Scopus ID

2-s2.0-105018335348

Author(s)
Zou, Jianling

Laboratoire Cognitions Humaine et Artificielle

Gauthier, Soizic

Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière

Archambault, Dominique

Laboratoire Cognitions Humaine et Artificielle

Chetouani, Mohamed

Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique

Cohen, David

Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière

Anzalone, Salvatore M.

Laboratoire Cognitions Humaine et Artificielle

Bruno, Barbara

Karlsruher Institut für Technologie

Tozadore, Daniel C.

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Wang, Chenyang  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Dillenbourg, Pierre  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

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Corporate authors
the iReCheck Study Group
Date Issued

2025-12-01

Published in
Computers in Human Behavior Reports
Volume

20

Article Number

100799

Subjects

Handwriting and dysgraphia

•

Learning-by-teaching

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Long-term interaction

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Neurodevelopmental disorders

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Social robotics

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
CHILI  
FunderFunding(s)Grant NumberGrant URL

Agence Nationale de la Recherche

ANR-FNFS

ANR-19-CE19-0029 - FNS 200021E 189475/1

Available on Infoscience
October 20, 2025
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/255053
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