Learning Disabilities e didattica del “potenziamento”: un percorso di valutazione di un training inclusivo

In italian school the focus on Specific Learning Disorders is highlighting the opportunity to intervene early with multiprospettive analysis that enable the identification and possible solution of the socalled Learning Disabilities (Hamill, 2000). The article provides the results of a project to upgrade the learning skills in accordance with the scientific paradigm of the Consensus Conference (2007,2011) and the expansion of the learning domain-specific (Lucangeli, 2013) in the framework of inclusion didactics (Perla, 2013; Caldin, 2013, Medeghini et alii, 2013). The project was planned and implemented in collaboration with the Department of Education, Psychology, Communication of the University of Bari “Aldo Moro” and the Comprehensive School “A. Chiarelli” in the territory ofTaranto with a group of students attending primary school, identified by a screening procedure, with the aim of identifying new methods of assessment and intervention to be offered to teachers to support their inclusive teaching (Perla, 2013). The study proposed to reach several objectives: to identify specific problems in a cognitive domain (reading, reading comprehension, spelling and calculation) by administering standardized assessment tools (quantitative analysis); to evaluate the perception of the teacher on pupil performance considering some key variables (qualitative analysis); to motivate students to study through tasks in which they could gradually experiencesuccess; to improve the skills base through training in small group; to assess the maintenance of the results over time (follow-up to 3 months). The study, presented by investigating the interdependent relationship of learning disability (Hamill, 2000) with the stimulus of the educational environment (family and / or school), has confirmed the manifest and conditioning circularity between learning difficulties and inclusive teaching methods.In italian school the focus on Specific Learning Disorders is highlighting the opportunity to intervene early with multiprospettive analysis that enable the identification and possible solution of the socalled Learning Disabilities (Hamill, 2000). The article provides the results of a project to upgrade the learning skills in accordance with the scientific paradigm of the Consensus Conference (2007,2011) and the expansion of the learning domain-specific (Lucangeli, 2013) in the framework of inclusion didactics (Perla, 2013; Caldin, 2013, Medeghini et alii, 2013). The project was planned and implemented in collaboration with the Department of Education, Psychology, Communication of the University of Bari “Aldo Moro” and the Comprehensive School “A. Chiarelli” in the territory ofTaranto with a group of students attending primary school, identified by a screening procedure, with the aim of identifying new methods of assessment and intervention to be offered to teachers to support their inclusive teaching (Perla, 2013). The study proposed to reach several objectives: to identify specific problems in a cognitive domain (reading, reading comprehension, spelling and calculation) by administering standardized assessment tools (quantitative analysis); to evaluate the perception of the teacher on pupil performance considering some key variables (qualitative analysis); to motivate students to study through tasks in which they could gradually experiencesuccess; to improve the skills base through training in small group; to assess the maintenance of the results over time (follow-up to 3 months). The study, presented by investigating the interdependent relationship of learning disability (Hamill, 2000) with the stimulus of the educational environment (family and / or school), has confirmed the manifest and conditioning circularity between learning difficulties and inclusive teaching methods

Short-Term Orchestral Music Training Modulates Hyperactivity and Inhibitory Control in School-Age Children: A Longitudinal Behavioural Study

Survey studies have shown that participating in music groups produces several benefits, such as discipline, cooperation and responsibility. Accordingly, recent longitudinal studies showed that orchestral music training has a positive impact on inhibitory control in school-age children. However, most of these studies examined long periods of training not always feasible for all families and institutions and focused on children’s measures ignoring the viewpoint of the teachers. Considering the crucial role of inhibitory control on hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity, we wanted to explore if short orchestral music training would promote a reduction of these impulsive behaviors in children. This study involved 113 Italian children from 8 to 10 years of age. 55 of them attended 3 months of orchestral music training. The training included a 2-hour lesson per week at school and a final concert. The 58 children in the control group did not have any orchestral music training. All children were administered tests and questionnaires measuring inhibitory control and hyperactivity near the beginning and end of the 3-month training period. We also collected information regarding the levels of hyperactivity of the children as perceived by the teachers at both time points. Children in the music group showed a significant improvement in inhibitory control. Moreover, in the second measurement the control group showed an increase in self-reported hyperactivity that was not found in the group undergoing the music training program. This change was not noticed by the teachers, implying a discrepancy between self-reported and observed behavior at school. Our results suggest that even an intense and brief period of orchestral music training is sufficient to facilitate the development of inhibitory control by modulating the levels of self-reported hyperactivity. This research has implications for music pedagogy and education especially in children with high hyperactivity. Future investigations will test whether the findings can be extended to children diagnosed with ADHD

Therapeutic Challenges to Retinitis Pigmentosa: From Neuroprotection to Gene Therapy

Syndromic retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the result of several mutations expressed in rod photoreceptors, over 40 of which have so far been identified. Enormous efforts are being made to relate the advances in unraveling the patho-physiological mechanisms to therapeutic approaches in animal models, and eventually in clinical trials on humans. This review summarizes briefly the current clinical management of RP and focuses on the new exciting treatment possibilities. To date, there is no approved therapy able to stop the evolution of RP or restore vision. The current management includes an attempt at slowing down the degenerative process by vitamin supplementation, trying to treat ocular complications and to provide psychological support to blind patients. Novel therapeutic may be tailored dependant on the stage of the disease and can be divided in three groups. In the early stages, when there are surviving photoreceptors, the first approach would be to try to halt the degeneration by correction of the underlying biochemical abnormality in the visual cycle using gene therapy or pharmacological treatment. A second approach aims to cope with photoreceptor cell death using neurotrophic growth factors or anti-apoptotic factors, reducing the production of retino-toxic molecules, and limiting oxidative damage. In advanced stages, when there are few or no functional photoreceptors, strategies that may benefit include retinal transplantation, electronic retinal implants or a newly described optogenetic technique using a light-activated channel to genetically resensitize remnant cone-photoreceptor cells

Distance learning in Higher Education during the first pandemic lockdown : The point of view of students with special educational needs

The study investigates the perspective on distance learning (DL) of a sample of students with disability. Participants (N= 198; 62% females) completed an online questionnaire. The results highlight that students perceive both advantages and barriers, which vary as a function of the type of disability. This seems to suggest that DL potentials should be evaluated in relation to the specific vulnerabilities and educational needs associated with each type of disability, which might be accomplished by adopting the Universal Design for Learning framework. Also, it may be that the impact of DL depends on the discipline as well as on the teachers’ digital competences, which can make a great difference in the quality of the online lesson and in the overall didactic experience of students with SEN.Peer reviewe

The mental state in perpetrators of violent crime: a short case report regarding preliminary investigation with the adult attachment interview

Given the influence of the quality of childhood experiences upon psychological development (Bowlby, 1988) and its role in the involvement in criminal activities (Farrington, 1994), it has been hypothesized that adverse childhood events could facilitate a life path marked by criminal offences. This study in-volved the analysis of the Adult Attachment Interview of 7 offenders convicted for violent crimes against the person (experimental group) and 7 official non-offenders (control group), whose data came from a study that recruited fathers of preterm infants. The groups were matched for socio-demographic variables (e.g. age and level of education) and for attachment patterns. The results of this study are preliminary. Implications for practice, also within the criminal justice system, are discusse

Stati mentali in autori di crimini violenti. Dati preliminari di una ricerca clinico-forense con l'ausilio dell'adult attachment interview

Nota l’incidenza della qualità delle esperienze infantili sullo sviluppo psicologico dell’uomo (Bowlby, 1988) e nel coinvolgimento in attività devianti (Farrington, 1994), è stato ipotizzato che eventi sfavorevoli infantili possano favorire l’evoluzione di un percorso di vita segnato da condotte criminose. Lo studio ha considerato l’analisi dell’Adult Attachment Interview di 7 soggetti detenuti per reati violenti contro la persona (gruppo sperimentale) e 7 soggetti estranei al circuito giudiziario (gruppo di controllo), i cui dati derivano da uno studio che reclutava padri di bambini pretermine. I gruppi sono stati confrontati per esaminare l'incidenza dei modelli di attaccamento e le differenze rispetto a specifiche esperienze affettive con i caregiver. I risultati suggestivi sono da considerarsi preliminari. Infine, implicazioni per la pratica e input per studi futuri sono discussi

Dall’accessibilità all’inclusione nei musei: un approccio multidisciplinare

The paper investigates the issue of accessibility and inclusion by considering the personal appropriation of cultural heritage as an objective. Through a multidisciplinary approach and survey on archaeological heritage, it shows how the strategies and actions implemented by museums do not always meet this goal and which solutions can instead be more effective and truly inclusive for different audiences through different modalities of communication (analogue, digital, spatial). The contribution highlights the role of design and representation in communicating the values and meanings of cultural heritage, and explores methods and tools for innovative languages and defining new forms of interaction and involvement of different audiences

“Contro L’Odio”: A Platform for Detecting, Monitoring and Visualizing Hate Speech against Immigrants in Italian Social Media

The paper describes the Web platform built within the project “Contro l’Odio”, for monitoring and contrasting discrimination and hate speech against immigrants in Italy. It applies a combination of computational linguistics techniques for hate speech detection and data visualization tools on data drawn from Twitter.It allows users to access a huge amount of information through interactive maps, also tuning their view, e.g. visualizing the most viral tweets and interactively reducing the inherent complexity of data. Educational courses for high school students have been developed which are centered on the platform and focused on the deconstruction of negative stereotypes against immigrants, Rom and religious minorities, and on the creation of positive narratives. The data collected and analyzed by the platform are also currently used for benchmarking activities within an evaluation campaign, and for paving the way to new projects against hate

Transplantation of human fetal biliary tree stem/progenitor cells into two patients with advanced liver cirrhosis.

Efforts to identify cell sources and approaches for cell therapy of liver diseases are ongoing, taking into consideration the limits recognized for adult liver tissue and for other forms of stem cells. In the present study, we described the first procedure of via hepatic artery transplantation of human fetal biliary tree stem cells in patients with advanced cirrhosis.MethodsThe cells were immune-sorted from human fetal biliary tree by protocols in accordance with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) and extensively characterized. Two patients with advanced cirrhosis (Child-Pugh C) have been submitted to the procedure and observed through a 12 months follow-up.ResultsThe resulting procedure was found absolutely safe. Immuno-suppressants were not required, and the patients did not display any adverse effects correlated with cell transplantation or suggestive of immunological complications. From a clinical point of view, both patients showed biochemical and clinical improvement during the 6 month follow-up (Table1), and the second patient maintained a stable improvement for 12 months.ConclusionThis report represents proof of the concept that the human fetal biliary tree stem cells are a suitable and large source for cell therapy of liver cirrhosis. The isolation procedure can be carried out under cGMP conditions and, finally, the infusion procedure is easy and safe for the patients. This represents the basis for forthcoming controlled clinical trials