Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is characterized by persistent and significant language impairments. Children with DLD may experience difficulties in grammar, phonology, vocabulary, and specific morphosyntactic structures, such as clitic pronouns and passive constructions. To address these challenges, we propose an innovative treatment approach termed the Acting Argument Paradigm (AAP). Grounded in psycholinguistic theories, the core idea of this approach is to translate the abstract linguistic concept of argument movement into physical actions that actively engage children during language therapy. To operationalize the AAP, we developed a Tangible User Interface, namely Moovy, that enables children to manipulate physical objects and fosters a multisensory learning experience. This article presents the AAP and Moovy and discusses the results of a 6-week experimental study involving children (N = 30) with DLD. Preliminary findings indicate Moovy’s potential as an effective tool for speech therapy programs, offering promise for improving the linguistic skills of children with DLD.

The paper investigates the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) into Conversational Agents (CAs) to encourage a shift in consumption patterns from a demand-driven to a supply-based paradigm.Specifically, the research examines the role of anthropomorphic design in delivering environmentally conscious messages by comparing two CA designs: a personified agent representing an appliance and a traditional, non-personified assistant.A lab study (N=26) assessed the impact of these designs on interaction, perceived self-efficacy, and engagement.Results indicate that LLMbased CAs significantly enhance users' self-reported eco-friendly behaviors, with participants expressing greater confidence in managing energy consumption.While the anthropomorphic design did not notably affect self-efficacy, those interacting with the personified agent reported a stronger sense of connection with the system.These findings suggest that although anthropomorphic CAs may improve user engagement, both designs hold promise for fostering sustainable behaviors in home energy management.

Measuring cognitive functions is a complex and challenging process, and researchers usually conduct their study in experimental settings and with standardized tests. Such an approach is raising more and more criticism. Especially about the capability of psychology’s laboratory experiments to provide generalizable and accurate indicators of impairments outside the laboratory boundaries in everyday life. This is acknowledged as the ”real-world or lab” dilemma. Most tests traditionally performed using paper-and-pencil may fail to detect the individual’s difficulties in the real world. The scientific community has launched a quest for new digitized, interactive, and more ”ecological” versions. Our work investigates a novel approach to this topic that exploits interactive Multi-Sensory Environments (iMSE) and questions how iMSEs could contribute to the neuropsychology assessment field. The paper describes NEP-Neuro-Psychological Suite, a set of game-based activities in iMSE inspired by widely adopted neuropsychological tests. The suite provides a context in which existing or new neuropsychological tests can be experimented, extended, and modified with stimuli, contents, and tasks closer to real-world situations. We report an exploratory empirical study (N=22) on a well-known test to assess attention skills, the Stroop Test. The results, although very preliminary, provide insights into the effects of transposing classic tests into a novel form and the role that iMSEs can play in the debate about the ”real-world or lab” dilemma.