Serenella Besio
Papers
12
Total Citations
78
H-Index
5
About
Serenella Besio is a pioneering researcher whose work sits at the intersection of assistive technology, child development, and disability studies, with a particular focus on the transformative role of play for children with disabilities. Her research has been instrumental in establishing play not merely as a developmental tool but as a fundamental right for all children, including those with physical and cognitive impairments. Besio is perhaps best known for her contributions to the European IROMEC project, which explored how interactive robots could serve as social mediators and play companions for children with disabilities. This foundational work, alongside her development of guidelines for educators and rehabilitation professionals using robots therapeutically, helped shape an emerging discipline at the crossroads of robotics and inclusive education. Her investigations into playfulness — the intrinsic disposition to engage in play — and how mainstream robotic toys can support children with cerebral palsy and physical impairments reflect both scientific rigor and genuine advocacy. A defining achievement is her leadership in founding the LUDI research network, dedicated to consolidating fragmented global scholarship on play and disability into a coherent, autonomous field. Accumulating citations across methodologically diverse studies, Besio's body of work has meaningfully advanced both research and practice, offering practitioners evidence-based strategies to support every child's right to play.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Prompt-fading Strategies in Robot Mediated Play Sessions10 citations · 2013
- 3Robot Play for All9 citations · 2022
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- 7Off-the-shelf, robotic toys and physically impaired children4 citations · 2016
- 8Mainstream robotic toys and children with physical impairment4 citations · 2016
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