Disabilità, gioco e robotica: una ricerca nella scuola dell'infanzia

This paper presents a study into the integration of robotics in the design of play - based environments in kindergartens. The activities, which were carried out in kindergartens in Liguria, Italy, employed specially designed robots and were intended to: support and complement normal play and social activities; help all children, including those with severe disabilities, to develop social and comunication competencies: mediate and facilitate relationships between asll children, irrespective of disability. Real time monitoring of the robot-mediated play session was complemented by analysis of video recordings. Bundy's Test of Playfullness was administered as was an observation test connected to the Iromec Robot. The study resulted in evaluation of the potential and limitations related to deployment of robots in structured play environments designed to facilitate the inclusion of childrern with physical disabilities in kindergarten.