Editorial: Sociomateriality in Children With Typical and/or Atypical Development.

L'idea di sociomaterialità ha origine principalmente dalla vasta area di prospettive sullo sviluppo psicologico legate all'empirismo. In termini semplici, si potrebbe dire che la sociomaterialità sottolinea il contributo dell'esperienza individuale e collettiva ponendo maggiormente l'accento sul ruolo che la corporeità, i contesti fisici e gli oggetti giocano nello sviluppo o nell'emergere di funzioni psicologiche. Purtroppo, come ogni semplificazione, anche questa ha dei limiti oggettivi. Ciò che rende difficile stabilire un quadro unificato per definire la sociomaterialità, e soprattutto per determinare la sua relazione con lo sviluppo psicologico, è prima di tutto una questione epistemologica che è ancora oggetto di un ampio dibattito in diverse aree scientifiche, tra cui la filosofia (Searle, 2007) archeologia e culture materiali (Malafouris, 2013), ergonomia (Geslin, 2017), antropologia e sociologia (Latour, 2005), scienze cognitive (Clark, 2008), psicoterapia (Searles, 1960), psicologia dello sviluppo (Iannaccone et al. 2018; Moro e Rodríguez, 1998; Moro, 2016) e l'apprendimento stesso (Engeström, 2015; Iannaccone, 2017; Cattaruzza et al., 2019). Nella misura limitata di questa introduzione al variegato Topic ospitato da Frontiers in Psychology, possiamo identificare il cuore del problema epistemologico in due domande fondamentali: (a) quali sono i confini della mente rispetto alla corporeità e al contesto in cui opera? e (b) quale potrebbe essere il contributo reale che gli artefatti danno allo sviluppo delle funzioni psicologiche, in particolare l'apprendimento?The idea of sociomateriality mainly originates from the vast area of perspectives on psychological development related to empiricism. In simple terms, it could be said that sociomateriality stresses the contribution of individual and collective experience by putting more emphasis on the role that corporeity, physical contexts, and objects play in the development or emergence of psychological functions. Unfortunately, like any simplification, this one has objective limits. What makes it difficult to establish a unified framework to define sociomateriality, and above all to determine its relationship to psychological development, is, first of all, an epistemological question that is still the subject of a wide debate in several scientific areas, including philosophy (Searle, 2007) archaeology and material cultures (Malafouris, 2013), ergonomics (Geslin, 2017), anthropology and sociology (Latour, 2005), cognitive sciences (Clark, 2008), psychotherapy (Searles, 1960), developmental psychology (Iannaccone et al. 2018; Moro and Rodríguez, 1998; Moro, 2016) and learning itself (Engeström, 2015; Iannaccone, 2017; Cattaruzza et al., 2019). Within the limited extent of this introduction to the variegated Topic hosted by Frontiers in Psychology, we can identify the heart of the epistemological problem in two fundamental questions: (a) what are the boundaries of the mind with respect to corporeity and the context in which it operates? and (b) what could be the real contribution that artefacts give to the development of psychological functions, particularly learning

Objects as Communicative Mediators in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

In recent years, the socio-material perspective has informed an important interdisciplinary debate concerning the role of the physical world (i.e., the objects) in human psychological development. Several studies in the field of developmental psychology showed positive achievements in explaining the relationship between the subject and the social context through a socio-material approach, in particular in the early development. The importance of objects was also recognized in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), showing that these children are characterized by alterations in the use of the objects from early development. Some studies highlighted that objects could be a facilitator in the interactions between children with ASD and peers. However, the role of objects was not sufficiently investigated in interactions between children with ASD and adults. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate in children with ASD the communicative function that the activities with objects assume in the interactions with adults, highlighting the mediator role of objects in these interactions. More generally, this study also aims to highlight the relevance of adopting a socio-material perspective to explore some neglected aspects of the psychological activity of children with ASD. To test this hypothesis, we conducted an extensive exploratory study, collecting data from a sample of 3-year-old (N = 18; F = 3) and 4-year-old (N = 26; F = 3) with ASD. Children were observed in a free-play situation with an adult. They were free to choose an object from a predefined set. Through quantitative data, we have described the general characteristics of the manipulation of objects; through qualitative data, we aimed to capture and describe, in microgenetic sequences, some characteristics of children\u2019s activities, defined as socio-material. The analysis of the socio-material activities suggested the role of objects as mediator of the interactions between children with ASD and adults

perceived social support and clinical symptomatology in italian university students

Social support can influence the perceptions of individual and social well-being for university students. We sought to verify whether the perceptions of social support correlate with the manifestation of clinical symptoms in young university students. A total of 26 participants, 58% female and 42% male, between the ages of 19 and 27 were included. The following tests were administered: SCL-90-R – scale for the self-evaluation of general psychopathology and MSPSS – self-assessment scale for the perception of social support. The students who perceived low levels of social support had high levels of clinical symptomatology (especially for internalised disorders). The index for a high intensity of symptoms Positive Symptom Total is correlated with a low level of perceived social support. Keywords: Clinical symptomatology, perceived social support, university students

Self-care in children and young people with complex chronic conditions: a qualitative study using Emotional Text Mining

Objectives: To explore: (1) self-care behaviors in children and young people (range: 6 months-24 years) with complex chronic conditions, characterized by the diagnosis of a severe chronic condition, substantial family-identified needs, functional limitations associated with technology dependence, and intensive use of healthcare services; (2) the contribution to self-care of family members and other persons involved in the child's health and daily life context (e.g., health professionals and teachers), and (3) the principal factors that might have influenced the self-care process associated with developmental age. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted in an Italian academic tertiary pediatric hospital between September 2020 and May 2021. Overall, 25 focus groups and 7 online interviews were conducted via videoconferencing. Textual data were analyzed using Emotional Text Mining to identify three levels of communication: the factors, the main themes (clusters), and the sub-themes. Results: A total of 104 participants were enrolled, including 27 patients with complex chronic conditions (12 males, mean age = 11.1 ± 4.40), 33 parents, 6 siblings, 33 health professionals, and 5 teachers. Participants described the process of self-care through four main factors: "self-care", "external settings", "family", and "management". Five clusters (themes) were identified: (1) Self-care management (device; consulting); (2) Shift of agency (influencing factors; parents; school); (3) Self-care support (normal life and personal development; multidisciplinary support); (4) Daily self-care maintenance/monitoring; (5) Treatment adherence. Self-care management was mostly relevant for parents of children aged between 6 months and 3 years. Conclusion: The self-care process varies according to the needs related to the specific developmental age and the evolution of the clinical condition over time. The contribution of the family, health professionals, and social networks is fundamental for adequate self-care. To help families manage the unstable condition of their children at home, it is necessary to strengthen support networks implement home care, and ensure continuity of care

Design, synthesis, ADME and biological evaluation of benzylpiperidine and benzylpiperazine derivatives as novel reversible monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitors.

The degradation of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol is mediated by the enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), thus generating arachidonic acid, the precursor of prostaglandins and other pro-inflammatory mediators. MAGL also contributes to the hydrolysis of monoacylglycerols into glycerol and fatty acids in peripheral body districts, which may act as pro-tumorigenic signals. For this reason, MAGL inhibitors have been considered as interesting therapeutic agents for their anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. So far, only a limited series of reversible MAGL inhibitors, which are devoid of side effects shown by irreversible inhibitors in animal models, have been reported. Here we optimized a class of benzylpiperidine and benzylpiperazine-based compounds for a reversible MAGL inhibition. The best MAGL inhibitors of this class, compounds 28 and 29, showed a very good inhibition potency, both on the isolated enzyme and in U937 cells, as confirmed by molecular modeling studies that predicted their binding mode into the MAGL active site. Both compounds are characterized by a high selectivity for MAGL versus other serine hydrolases including enzymes of the endocannabinoid system, as confirmed by ABPP experiments in mouse brain membranes. Moreover, very good properties concerning ADME parameters and low in vivo toxicity have been observed for both compounds

Riociguat treatment in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: Final safety data from the EXPERT registry

Objective: The soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator riociguat is approved for the treatment of adult patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and inoperable or persistent/recurrent chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) following Phase

Sociomateriality in Children with Typical and/or Atypical Development

The idea of sociomateriality mainly originates from the vast area of perspectives on psychological development related to empiricism. In simple terms, it could be said that sociomateriality stresses the contribution of individual and collective experience by putting more emphasis on the role that corporeity, physical contexts, and objects play in the development or emergence of psychological functions. Unfortunately, like any simplification, this one has objective limits. What makes it difficult to establish a unified framework to define sociomateriality, and above all to determine its relationship to psychological development, is first of all an epistemological question that is still the subject of a wide debate in several scientific areas, including philosophy (Searle, 2007) archaeology and material cultures (Malafouris, 2013), ergonomics (Geslin, 2017), anthropology and sociology (Latour, 2005), cognitive sciences (Clark, 2008), psychotherapy (Searles, 1960), developmental psychology (Moro and Rodr\uedguez, 1998; Moro, 2016; Iannaccone et al., 2018) and learning itself (Engestr\uf6m, 2015; Iannaccone, 2017; Cattaruzza et al., 2019). Within the limited extent of this introduction to the variegated Topic hosted by Frontiers in Psychology, we can identify the heart of the epistemological problem in two fundamental questions: (a) what are the boundaries of the mind with respect to corporeity and the context in which it operates? and (b) what could be the real contribution that artifacts give to the development of psychological functions, particularly learning? Of course, these two problems not only have an abstract philosophical meaning, but also constitute a real methodological puzzle, because they question the notions of \u201cobject of analysis\u201d and \u201cunity of analysis.\u201d To these important problems, researchers have given varied answers that are arranged along an axis with what we could define as \u201cstrong sociomateriality\u201d on the one end and \u201cweak sociomateriality\u201d on the other. Concerning the explanations of psychological phenomena, this continuum depends substantially on the more or less decisive role that researchers assign to both the physical characteristics (materialities) of objects or contexts and to the communicative and semiotic interactions between humans and non-humans (social and cultural mediations). Even within this Topic, which is specifically dedicated to the role of objects in psychological development (affective, cognitive, and social), the contributions collected do not refer to a single notion of sociomateriality. On the positive side, these contributions present a rich landscape of theoretical and empirical positions requiring the reader to seriously reconsider sociomateriality in psychology. In summarizing the 14 contributions, we identified some common general aspects of the Topic that can help the reader organize his or her \u201cjourney\u201d: Mental activities are not considered as decontextualized and isolated, but are interwoven in the interactions among individuals on one hand and the physical and social worlds on the other; and objects seem to actively contribute to typical and atypical psychological development (cognitive, affective, and social), influencing to several degrees the way that people experience the world. The contributions to the Topic are briefly presented below, organized according to their contribution to the issue of sociomateriality in psychology

Interaction with/through object and social functions in ASD children.

Background: Social interaction is impaired in autistic children; consequently, the interaction with the “social world of objects” is impaired as well. In a socio-material perspective (Iannaccone, 2015) the object is composed of material features and social components coexisting in the same object. Some autistic children show deficits in the use of objects: alterations in manipulation, exploration and describing. The object is a significant communicative mediator in social interaction between adults and children (Iannaccone, Savarese and Manzi, 2016). Thus, autistic children which do not present impairment in the use of the object show more social functions than impaired children, such as pointing (Bernabei, Camaioni and Levi, 1998), imitation (Vanvuchelen et al., 2013) and joint attention (Charman, 2003; Mundy, 2016). For instance, joint attention is typified by a subject-subject-object triangulation in which children alternate their eye gaze between the object and the other person (Trevarthen and Hubley, 1978). The main aim of this study is to analyze the understanding of social functions intrinsic in the object in verbal ASD through the use of material features of the object. In particular, the study evaluates correlation between “interaction with/through object” (material features of the object) and three social functions classically impaired in ASD: pointing, imitation and joint attention. Methods: we observed 43 verbal ASD children. The children were aged between the ending of the sensory-motor stage (24 months) and the beginning of the "Concrete Operational" thinking stage (68 months). The sample is divided in two sub-samples: sample1 (mean chronological age 47.3 months, SD 8.3 months) composed of 18 children acting and interacting through the object (children manipulate, explore, and sometimes describe the object); sample2 (mean chronological age 42.5 months, SD 12.8 months) composed of 25 children which do not act nor interact comprehensively with and through the object. The observations lasted 26 minutes on average and were transcribed on an ad hoc protocol. Children were observed during interaction with adults and with a small-size plastic toy. Results and Discussion: sample1 shows more social functions: pointing (66,7%), imitation (94,4%) and joint attention (61,1%). Sample2 shows less social functions: pointing (24%), imitation (60%) and joint attention (32%). Thus, autistic children showing a utter use of material features of the object and acting and interacting with and through objects present more social functions. On the other hand, children having alteration in the use of the object show less social functions. This difference might be due to inextricable connections between material features and social components of the object. Thus, impairments in the use of the material features might influence social interaction through the object. In conclusion, observations of autistic children during the interaction with and through the object help us understand a way to create a relationship space with these children

Object Use in Children with Autism: Building with Blocks from a Piagetian Perspective

AimThis study focused on the manipulation of objects by children with suspected autism spectrum disorder. The aim was to demonstrate how objects can be seen as active agents of interpersonal exchange in face-to-face interactions.ParticipantsThree children with suspected autism spectrum disorder (aged 18, 20, and 24 months) were selected as representative of the sensorimotor stage of development.MethodsStarting from Piaget’s classical approach to the sensorimotor and symbolic developmental stages, the study moved toward a socio-material interpretation in which some patterns of interaction involving object manipulation seem to create a space that supports adult–child communication. In videotaped observations of verbal and non-verbal signs during an (organized) free play session, each child manipulated seven small blocks of colored plastic in the presence of an adult. The observations were informed by a checklist of 14 items, including eye contact and building a tower of toy blocks from section B of the CHAT (CHecklist for Autism in Toddlers) instrument.ResultsBased on a broad Piagetian perspective and recent work in the field of socio-materiality, key observations included the following: (1) sensorimotor and realistic play was observed in all three children; (2) there were some intriguing indications that objects serve as concrete mediators in the intersubjective space between adult and child; (3) some of the children’s attention patterns were visibly mediated by the object.Discussion and conclusionAll three children exhibited a particular sequence of actions. First, they manipulated the blocks through active experimentation; second, there was an apparent pause, during which, the children were in fact examining the blocks to determine how best to continue the interaction; and finally, the children monitored adult attention by means of eye contact or by restarting manipulation of the blocks. As this last step in the sequence indicated that the object became a mediator of reciprocal attention, this interpersonal process was labeled “attention mediated by object.