A case study of psychoeducational intervention for language learning

This paper presents a case study focused on psychoeducational intervention for supporting language learning. It concerns a child that lost about 80% of hearing functioning at 11 months age, caused by an occlusive otitis. Despite successful surgery, the child didn’t learn to talk. The paper’s objective is to briefly describe the psychoeducational intervention used. This was based on inclusive practices aimed to develop language skills, and carried out by an interdisciplinary team in collaboration with primary school teachers. The methodology used for describing the case study consisted of a naturalistic observation that allowed collecting information on changes as result of the intervention. This permitted the analysis of the insights generated through practical experiences, and to find evidence in research on language learning. Also, the results emerged through the observation of this case study provided useful elements for encouraging the exploration of psychoeducational intervention’s potentiality, and inspire future trajectories of research

Auditory and language processing disorder: A case study

This chapter describesa psychoeducational intervention for supporting language learning. It concerns a child that lost about 80% of hearing functioning at 11 months age, caused by an occlusive otitis. Despite successful surgery, the child didn’t learn to talk. Chapterobjective consists of presenting the psychoeducational intervention adopted. This was based on inclusive practices aimed to develop language skills andcarried out by an interdisciplinary team in collaboration with primary school teachers. The methodology used fordescribing the intervention consisted of a naturalistic observation that allowed collecting information on changes as result of the intervention. This permitted the analysis of the insights generated through practical experiences, and to find evidence in research on language learning. Also, the results emerged through the observation of this interventionprovided useful elements for encouraging the exploration of intervention’s potentiality andinspire future trajectories of researc

Ciechi per la matematica? Analisi delle difficolt\ue0 matematiche per la persona non vedente

La realt\ue0 delle persone prive della vista, e la didattica della matematica, rappresentano da sempre ambiti di estremo interesse teorico e pratico per la riflessione pedagogica. Comunemente considerabili come settori a s\ue9 stanti, lo stimolo ad una ricerca comune deriva da molteplici esigenze educative: da una parte, la constatazione che molti adolescenti ciechi sono costretti ad evitare curricula di studi che implichino elevate quantit\ue0 di materie scientifiche, perch\ue9 sprovvisti dei mezzi per affrontarle; dall\u2019altra, il fervente dibattito scientifico attorno alla didattica della matematica nelle scuole di ogni ordine e grado, rispetto ad una materia considerata tradizionalmente pi\uf9 problematica delle altre. Il percorso di ricerca che qui si delinea intende andare alle origini di queste due realt\ue0, distinte solo in apparenza, scoprendone in primo luogo i molti elementi comuni, al fine di chiedersi se esiste una logica condivisa che permetta di superarne le rispettive difficolt\ue0. La conclusione che ne deriva, dopo qualche anno di ricerca, \ue8 di una sconcertante semplicit\ue0: tutte le problematiche derivanti dalla psicopatologia della matematica e dall\u2019educazione del cieco provengono dal considerale realt\ue0 divise e indipendenti, in ultima analisi nel percepirle solo ad un livello sintomatico e superficiale. Gli approcci normalmente considerati tendono, tanto per la matematica quanto per l\u2019educazione del cieco, a considerarne solo la sintomatologia delle situazioni contingenti, senza operare un\u2019analisi delle cause profonde. L\u2019articolarsi dell\u2019argomentazione porta a scoprire che l\u2019educazione dei deprivati sensoriali e la rappresentazione matematica del mondo sottintendono la medesima radice comune. Nel primo capitolo si \ue8 cercato di riscoprire il valore storico e antropologico della rappresentazione matematica, rivalutando lo stretto legame con il quotidiano che tale materia implica. Nel capitolo secondo sono, in modo complementare, presentate le diverse situazioni di mancata comprensione del linguaggio matematico, a partire da deficit organici fino alle carenze di tipo pi\uf9 squisitamente educativo. La descrizione dei diversi modelli diagnostici e riabilitativi \ue8 il primo importante passo per comprendere quale collocazione sia possibile dare al cieco nel suo complesso rapporto con la matematica. Il terzo capitolo \ue8 logicamente speculare al precedente: centrato sulle persone non vedenti, si utilizzano i modelli riabilitativi esplicitati in precedenza per comprendere diverse implicazioni psicologiche afferenti alla realt\ue0 della privazione visiva. Nel quarto capitolo si riportano i resoconti pi\uf9 significativi degli incontri e delle interviste fatte nel corso della ricerca, prediligendo quei contributi che maggiore spessore hanno potuto dare agli elementi teorici e didattici. Alla trattazione ordinaria, seguono due appendici: la prima, una trattazione esaustiva della percettologia aptica, elaborata e messa a pubblica disposizione sul web dalla dott.sa Elena Pasquinelli, al tempo dottoranda in psicologia presso l\u2019Universit\ue0 di Pisa; la seconda, utilizzata e divulgata in diversi corsi di aggiornamento per insegnanti di scuola primaria, media inferiore e superiore, esplicita in modo semplice gli elementi concettuali di base della privazione visiva. Con grande sorpresa, soprattutto di chi scrive, la presente ricerca non porta alla strutturazione dell\u2019ennesimo modello riabilitativo specifico, n\ue9 verso la cecit\ue0, n\ue9 verso la matematica: la scoperta di tali e tanti elementi comuni vuole per\uf2 spingere la riflessione pedagogica verso una pi\uf9 approfondita analisi dell\u2019educazione e della didattica, a possibile soluzione dei diversi stati di empasse cui sono condannati, in egual misura, studenti ciechi e normodotati nelle scuole italiane.Not Avaiabl

La teacher agency inclusiva: il cammino di due decenni da una panoramica della letteratura

il presente articolo intende sintetizzare il cammino della teacher agency inclusiva a partire dalle sue prime definizioni, ormai oltre vent’anni fa. Un costrutto che è andato definendosi nel corso del tempo, e che nel tempo ha cambiato e adattato la sua definizione in base alle ricerche scientifiche e all’evolversi delle politiche inclusive ad opera dei diversi Stati. Ne emerge una panoramica estremamente variegata per successione temporale e applicazioni specifiche e politiche nelle diverse zone del mondo. La ricerca italiana perviene alla teacher agency inclusiva relativamente in ritardo rispetto ad altri Stati, pur avendo pensato l’inclusione storicamente prima di altri, già a partire dagli anni Settanta del secolo scorso: se si consente una punta di ironia, sembra di sentire il celebre proverbio risorgimentale di Ferdinando Martini, in accezione pedagogica «Fatta l’Italia (inclusiva), bisogna fare gli italiani (insegnanti inclusivi)». Che già molte volte lo sono, forse mancando di una visione sistemica e unitaria. Ci si propone una panoramica longitudinale (in termini temporali) e trasversale (in termini geografici) della ricerca in merito: lo scopo non è solamente una visione in termini storici e geografici, ma anche di fare sintesi del percorso effettuato al fine di indirizzare la ricerca contemporanea e futura.This paper intends to summarize the path of inclusive teacher agency starting from its first definitions, now over twenty years ago. A construct that has been defined over time, and which has changed and adapted its definition over time based on scientific research and the evolution of inclusive policies by different states. What emerges is an extremely varied overview in terms of temporal succession, specific applications and policies in different areas of the world. Italian research arrives at inclusive teacher agency relatively late compared to other states, despite having thought about inclusion historically before others, starting from the 1970s: if we allow a touch of irony, we seem to hear the famous Risorgimento proverb by Ferdinando Martini, in a pedagogical sense: «After making Italy (inclusive), we must make Italians (inclusive teachers)». Which many times already are, perhaps lacking a systemic and unitary vision. Here is proposed a longitudinal (in temporal terms) and transversal (in geographical terms) overview of the research in this regard: the aim is not only a vision in historical and geographical terms, but it seeks to summarize the path taken in order to guide contemporary and future research

Matematica inclusiva con l’Intelligenza Artificiale Generativa: un percorso possibile?

L’insegnamento della matematica sta vivendo un processo di cambiamento in tutti gli ordini di istruzione. Nel corso dell’ottavo e nono ciclo del TFA presso l’Università di Verona, alcuni gruppi di insegnanti specializzandi sul sostegno si sono chiesti se alle istanze di maggiore praticità e minore astrattezza si possa coniugare l’inclusione degli studenti con bisogni educativi speciali. La presenza dell’IA generativa rappresenta una nuova frontiera: è possibile generare testi alternativi che aiutano a semplificare la decodifica, sostituire le immagini con descrizioni alternative, ipotizzare nuovi approcci didattici. Tuttavia, ci sono limitazioni di cui studenti e insegnanti non sono ancora consapevoli: testi digitali talvolta poco accessibili; distorsioni e “allucinazioni della macchina” insite alla AI. Con l’aiuto di alcuni studenti con bisogni educativi speciali, che hanno svolto il PCTO presso il TFA, quattro classi di insegnanti di scuola secondaria di primo e di secondo grado mostrano caratteristiche e limitazioni dell’IA nell’approccio inclusivo alla matematica, con uno sguardo ad una normativa italiana e internazionale ancora in fase di sviluppo.The teaching of mathematics is undergoing a process of change at all levels of education. During the eighth and ninth cycles of the TFA program at the University of Verona, some groups of specialized support teachers have explored whether greater practicality and reduced abstraction can be combined with the inclusion of students with special educational needs. The presence of generative AI represents a new frontier: it is possible to generate alternative texts that simplify decoding, replace images with alternative descriptions, and propose new teaching approaches. However, there are limitations that students and teachers are not yet fully aware of, such as digital texts that are sometimes not very accessible and the distortions or “hallucinations” inherent in AI. With the help of some students with special educational needs, who participated in the PCTO program at the TFA, four groups of teachers about low and high school examine characteristics and limitations of AI in an inclusive approach to mathematics, while also considering an evolving Italian and International Law framework

Analisi dell’attuale modello formativo dell’insegnante specializzato per il sostegno didattico presso l’Università di Verona: uno studio longitudinale lungo quattro cicli.

Il D.M. 30 settembre 2011 affida alle Università l’organizzazione dei corsi di formazione per il conseguimento della specializzazione per il Sostegno. Dalla sua promulgazione ad oggi, le università italiane hanno attivato VII cicli formativi già conclusi, mentre l’VIII è in essere. A distanza di 12 anni dalla sua formulazione, alla luce delle esperienze formative delle università italiane, compresa quella di Verona, emerge la necessità di analizzare gli esiti di questo processo formativo, individuandone gli aspetti positivi e negativi. La ricerca considera i cicli dal IV al VII, dal 2018 al 2022; il IV (2018) e il VII (2021) sono stati svolti in presenza, mentre il V (2019) e il VI (2020) in modalità online a causa della pandemia da CoVid19. A partire dalla letteratura esistente, è stato elaborato uno strumento di rilevazione inviato a 1642 docenti, mirante alla valutazione dell’efficacia del modello formativo lungo questi 4 anni: si restituiscono i primi risultati finora ottenuti.The Ministerial Decree 30 September 2011 entrusts the Universities with the organization and provision of training courses for the achievement of specialization for support teachers. Since its promulgation, Italian universities have activated VII training cycles already concluded, while the VIII is in progress. Twelve years after its formulation, considering the training experiences carried out by Italian universities, including the University of Verona, it is necessary to analyze the outcomes of this training process, identifying its positive and negative aspects. This research includes cycles IV to VII, from 2018 to 2022; IV (2018) and VII (2021) were carried out in person, while V (2019) and VI (2020) were held online due to the CoVid19 pandemic. Starting from the existing literature, a survey tool was developed and sent to a total of 1642 teachers, aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the training model over these 4 years: the first results obtained are so far reported

Management of B3 breast lesions: Potential clinical implications from a retrospective study conducted in an accredited Breast Unit following the 2024 EUSOMA guidelines

B3 breast lesions present significant challenge in breast surgery. Despite their relatively low risk of malignancy without cellular atypia, overtreatment remains common. We retrospectively evaluate the management of B3 lesions in an accredited-EUSOMA Breast Unit, comparing 10-years practices with 2016 and 2019 international Consensus Conferences and with 2024 EUSOMA guidelines. The study included 354 patients diagnosed with B3 lesions, evaluating guideline adherence, malignancy risk in non-adherent cases, and biopsy-to-final pathology concordance. Adherence to guidelines varied by lesion type, with 46.3 % of cases potentially involving avoidable surgeries, 9.1 % of which were found to be malignant. Additionally, discrepancies between biopsy and final histology were significant, with 43.2 % of lesions showing different histological types. These findings emphasize the importance of updated guidelines to reduce overtreatment, encourage minimally invasive treatments and highlight the need of multidisciplinary discussions in managing B3 lesions, especially when there is a discrepancy between imaging and preoperative biopsy

What really matters for returning to work after breast cancer? A 6-month exploratory study

Return to work (RTW) after breast cancer (BC) may significantly impact on women recovery and quality of life. Literature hightlighed several factors associated to RTW after BC but there is still some concern about prognostic factors influencing work resumption after BC treatments. The present study aims to explore which baseline factors are associated with RTW at 6-month after BC surgery. The participants in this 6-month prospective study were 149 patients who underwent breast cancer-related surgery and accessed an Oncology Clinic for cancer therapy from March 2017 to December 2019 in Northern Italy. Participants filled in a battery of questionnaires at baseline, and they were asked whether they had returned to work at 6-month follow-up. Psychological measurements included job stress (Job Content Questionnaire), work engagement (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale), quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life- BREF), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), resilience (Connor - Davidson Resilience Scale - 10 item) and personal expectations about RTW (ad-hoc single item). Moreover, sociodemographic, clinical, and work-related data were collected. Independent t-test and Chi-square test were used for comparisons among variables; logistic regression model was used to explore predictors of RTW. A total of 73.9 percent returned to work at6-month after surgery. In the multivariate model, chemiotherapy (B = -1.428; SE = 0.520) and baseline women's expectations about their RTW (B = -0.340; DS = 0.156) were significant predictors of RTW. These results suggest that careful individual clinical and psychological screening of risk factors at baseline can prevent from occupational disability and long sickness absence

Circulating fibroblast activation protein as potential biomarker in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

A major concern in the management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is the absence of accurate and specific biomarkers to drive diagnosis and monitor disease status timely and non-invasively. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) represents a hallmark of IBD bowel strictures, being overexpressed in stenotic intestinal myofibroblasts. The present study aimed at evaluating the potential of circulating FAP (cFAP) as an accessible blood biomarker of IBD. Quantitative determination of cFAP was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on plasma samples prospectively collected from patients with IBD and control subjects. A discrimination model was established on a training set of 50% patients and validated on independent samples. Results showed that cFAP concentration was reduced in patients with IBD when compared to controls (p < 0.0001). Age, sex, smoking, disease location and behavior, disease duration and therapy were not associated with cFAP. The sensitivity and specificity of cFAP in discriminating IBD from controls were 70 and 84%, respectively, based on the optimal cutoff (57.6 ng mL(-1), AUC = 0.78). Predictions on the test set had 57% sensitivity, 65% specificity, and 61% accuracy. There was no strong correlation between cFAP and routine inflammatory markers in the patients' population. A subgroup analysis was performed on patients with Crohn's disease undergoing surgery and revealed that cFAP correlates with endoscopic mucosal healing. In conclusion, cFAP deserves attention as a promising blood biomarker to triage patients with suspected IBD. Moreover, it might function as a biomarker of post-operative remission in patients with Crohn's disease

Alfaxalone and Dexmedetomidine as an alternative to gas anesthesia for micro-CT lung imaging in a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis murine model

Micro-CT imaging could be considered a powerful non-invasive tool for accessing pulmonary fibrosis in mice. However, the choice of the anesthesia protocol plays a fundamental role to obtain robust and reproducible data, avoiding misinterpretations of the results. Inhaled anesthesia is commonly used for micro-CT lung imaging, but sometimes the standardization of the protocol may be challenging for routine activities in drug discovery. In this study we used micro-CT to evaluate the effects of two anesthetic protocols, consisting in Alfaxalone and Dexmedetomidine mixture, as injectable agents, and gaseous isoflurane, on vehicle and bleomycin-treated mice. No significant differences were highlighted between the protocols either for lung aeration degrees by micro-CT or histologic analyses in both the controls and bleomycin-treated groups. Our results support Alfaxalone and Dexmedetomidine mixture as a suitable and safe alternative compared to isoflurane for lung imaging. We also concluded that this injectable mixture may be applied for several imaging technologies and on different mice models