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About

Dr. Abeer Al-Nafjan is a leading researcher at the intersection of robotics and developmental psychology, whose work is shaping the future of therapeutic interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Her primary research areas include human-robot interaction, robot-assisted therapy, and the development of computational models for measuring social engagement. Dr. Al-Nafjan’s most significant contribution is her systematic analysis of how interactive robots can serve as powerful therapeutic tools, demonstrating that these machines can engage children with ASD in ways that foster essential human interaction skills. Her landmark 2022 systematic review, cited over 100 times, provides a foundational framework for the field. She has further advanced this work by pioneering methods to quantitatively measure a child’s engagement during therapy sessions and by developing innovative techniques to improve imitation skills using the NAO robot combined with human action recognition. With a growing body of work accumulating over 150 citations, Dr. Al-Nafjan is not only identifying the potential of robotics in education and therapy but is also actively solving the core challenges—such as measuring engagement and ensuring skill transfer—that will unlock its full promise for enhancing the lives of autistic children.