Study of postural control and body balance in subjects with Down syndrome

Purpose. Body imbalance and poor postural control have negative impact on gait and may increase the risk of falling in healthy individuals as well as those with Down syndrome (DS). Since people with DS have lower physical levels than people who do not present this condition, the purpose of our research was to compare features of postural control and body balance between subjects affected by DS and a control sample. Methods. Participants enrolled were divided into the following two groups: A DS group (DSG; n = 22; 9 females and 13 males; age range: 16-36 years) and an age-matched control group (CG; n = 25; 11 females and 14 males; age range: 16-36 years). All participants were subjected to t…

Editorial: Psychological Factors in Physical Education and Sport

Sports, Executive Functions and Academic Performance: A Comparison between Martial Arts, Team Sports, and Sedentary Children

It is well known that curricular physical activity benefits children’s executive functions and academic performance. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether there is an influence of extracurricular sports on executive functions and academic performance. However, it is less known which specific types of the sport better enhance executive functions in children

Intervention programs for individuals with Down syndrome

Autostima e strategie di self-handicapping in bambini di quinta elementare con e senza disturbi dell’apprendimento

Protective and Educational Effects of Physical Activity Practice on Mental Health in Young Age during COVID-19 Lockdown

Background: The restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic have modified the lifestyle of young people, worsening their mental health. Although some countries were allowed to practice outdoor physical activity (PA) in cases of lockdown, the PA level in the general population decreased. The current study aims to assess the differences in fear of COVID-19, anxiety, neuroticism, and general self-efficacy between university students who practiced PA during the second wave of lockdown and those who did not practice any PA. Methods: The sample consisted of 276 university students (176 females, 63.8%; mean age: 22.13, SD: ±3.94) who answered an online questionnaire detecting life habits …

Costrutti motivazionali e apprendimento scolastico: elaborazione di uno strumento multimediale.

Il Profilo Motivazionale Scolastico nello sviluppo tipico e atipico.

Scuse proattive/retroattive e intelligenza sociale: uno studio su adolescenti

Study of quotient of gross motor ability in children with Down Syndrome

Effectiveness of a Physical Education Program on the Motor and Pre-literacy Skills of Preschoolers From the Training-To-Health Project: A Focus on Weight Status

Many studies reported a positive relationship between motor skills, cognitive functions, and school performance in school-age children; however, little is known in preschool children. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a physical education program (PEP) on locomotor, object control skills, and pre-literacy cognitive functions in a wide population of preschoolers and verify whether weight status could influence these abilities. In the context of the Training-to-Health Project, a sample of 1,029 preschoolers was recruited in kindergartens from the urban area of Palermo (Italy). Their gross motor and pre-literacy skills were tested before (PRE) and after (POST…

Effects of an adapted physical activity program on psychophysical health in elderly women.

Giuseppe Battaglia,1,2 Marianna Bellafiore,1,2 Marianna Alesi,1,2 Antonio Paoli,3 Antonino Bianco,1,2 Antonio Palma1,2 1Department of Psychological, Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, 2Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, University of Palermo, Palermo, 3Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy Background: Several studies have shown the positive effects of adapted physical activity (APA) on physical and mental health (MH) during the lifetime. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a specific APA intervention program in the improvement of the health-related quality of life (QOL) and functional condition of spine in elderly women. Method…

Gross motor proficiency and intellectual functioning

Abstract This cross-sectional study examines differences in gross motor proficiency as a function of different intellectual functioning profiles. Two motor areas have been investigated as being equally essential to gross motor functions in every-day life: locomotion and object control. It aims to compare gross motor skills endorsed by children with Down syndrome (DS), children with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF), and typically developing children (TDC). Group 1 was composed of 18 children with DS (chronological age = 8.22), group 2 was composed of 18 children with BIF (chronological age = 9.32), and group 3 was composed of 18 children with typical development (TD) (chronological …

EFFETTI DELLA TERAPIA MULTISISTEMICA IN ACQUA SULLE ABILITA’ GROSSOMOTORIE E COGNITIVE IN SOGGETTI CON DISTURBO DELLO SPETTRO AUTISTICO

Lo scopo del presente studio è stato quello di studiare gli effetti della “terapia multisistemica in acqua” (TMA) sulle abilità grossomotorie e cognitive in bambini con disturbo dello spettro autistico. Le attività hanno coinvolto sei soggetti e si sono svolte attraverso la “pianificazione” di un intervento individualizzato e interpersonale volto a ridurre i sintomi e migliorare le capacità comunicative e relazionali del bambino avvalendosi degli ambienti strutturati delle piscine pubbliche. Dopo l’intervento terapeutico, i soggetti hanno mostrato un miglioramento del quoziente di sviluppo grosso-motorio e una modificazione degli schemi cognitivi, comportamentali, comunicativi ed emotivi. I…

Estudo comparativo de análise factorial confirmatória da Escala de Concepções Pessoais de Inteligência (ECPI) entre estudantes portugueses, romenos e italianos

Livello cognitivo, stile attributivo e lessico di stati interni: analisi di una relazione.

Percentile values of the standing broad jump in children and adolescents aged 6-18 years old

The standing broad jump (SBJ) is a valid, reliable and feasible field-based test, which can evaluate explosive strength of the lower limbs and physical fitness. This study aimed to provide normative data for the SBJ for male and female children and adolescents and describe differences in performance between age groups and genders. A total number of 2140 children and adolescents, sampled in seven European nations have been included for analysis. The SBJ was performed to derive percentile values for gender and each age group. In general, males have greater jumping performance compared to females. Data demonstrate a linear increase in the jumping distance for both males and females until adole…

Demotivazione scolastica e rappresentazione dell’intelligenza: modalita’ multimediali di valutazione

Strategie di autosabotaggio e autostima in bambini con differenti profili di apprendimento

Recenti ricerche si sono focalizzate sul ruolo dell'autostima e delle strategie di autosabotaggio nel contesto scolastico. In particolare l'autosabotaggio indica strategie disadattive impiegate da un individuo di fronte ad un compito minaccioso per proteggersi e mantenere un'autostima positiva. Abbiamo condotto due studi per confrontare il livello di autostima e le strategie di autosabotaggio in bambini di eta media 8 anni, frequentanti la terza classe della scuola primaria, con differenti profili di apprendimento. Nello specifico nel primo abbiamo confrontato due gruppi: uno con difficolta generalizzate sia di lettura che di matematica ed uno con normale livello di apprendimento. Nel secon…

Rappresentazione delle abilità, obiettivi di rendimento e strategie di self-handicapping nel contesto sportivo.

Obiettivo di questa ricerca è studiare la relazione tra credenze motivazionali quali le concezioni personali delle abilità, gli obiettivi di rendimento e le strategie di "self-handicapping" in atleti che praticano sport individuali e di squadra. A 262 soggetti, di entrambi i generi e livello socioeconomico medio, sono stati somministrati la Scala sulle Concezioni Personali dell'Intelligenza (Faria e Fontaine, 1997), un questionario sugli obiettivi nello sport (Duda e Nicholls, 1992) ed un questionario sulle strategie di "self-handicapping" (Midgley, Arunkumar e Urdan, 1996). I principali risultati evidenziano l'esistenza di significative correlazioni positive tra la concezione statica delle…

Concezioni personali dell’intelligenza in bambini con disturbo specifico di lettura

The Development of Motor and Pre-literacy Skills by a Physical Education Program in Preschool Children: A Non-randomized Pilot Trial

It is known in the literature that fundamental motor skill acquisition is strongly associated with the development of neuromotor, cognitive, social, and emotional aspects in childhood. Unfortunately, in Italy, the physical education teacher is not included in the school’s core personnel, and it is very hard to find a specific physical education program (PEP) that could improve preschool children’s motor and cognitive status. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the quotient of gross motor development (QGMD) and pre-literacy skills concerning visual analysis and spatial orientation abilities changed after 16 weeks of PEP (2 h/week) in preschool children. We conducted a school-bas…

SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-PERCEPTION PROFILE: A COMPARISON BETWEEN CHILDREN ATTENDING SPORT AND SEDENTARY CHILDREN

Field-based tests for the assessment of physical fitness in children and adolescents practicing sport: a systematic review within the ESA program

High levels of physical fitness (PF) can positively affect both health and cognitive function, thus monitoring its levels in youth can help increase health and quality of life in adult populations later on. This systematic review aims to identify PF field-based tests used in young European populations practicing sport to find tools that are adequate for the considered target involving a new battery within the Enriched Sport Activities (ESA) project. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was followed. In the 83 identified articles, the main tests used were: vertical/horizontal jumps (for muscular strength/power); push-ups, running at maximu…

Effects of school-based interventions on motivation towards physical activity in children and adolescents: Protocol for a systematic review

Background Recent studies have observed low levels of physical activity in children and adolescents worldwide. Physical activity interventions are increasingly carried out to counteract this development. The school environment is an ideal setting for such interventions to take place as large numbers of children and adolescents can be addressed. With the assumption that motivation is the key to initiate and sustain beneficial health behaviors, theory-based intervention studies apply motivational strategies to increase students’ participation in physical activity. The main objective of this systematic review will be to analyze the effects of school-based physical activity interventions on a v…

ANSIA, AUTOSTIMA E STRATEGIE SELF-HANDICAPPING IN BAMBINI CON DISABILITÀ DI APPRENDIMENTO

Motor and cognitive growth following a Football Training Program

Football may be a physical and sport activities able to improve motor and cognitive growth in children. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess whether a Football Training Program taken over 6 months would improve motor and cognitive performances in children. Motor skills concerned coordinative skills, running and explosive legs strength. Cognitive abilities involved visual discrimination times and visual selective attention times.Forty-six children with chronological age of ~9.10 years, were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n=24) attended a Football Exercise Program and Group 2 (n=22) was composed of sedentary children.Their abilities were measured by a battery of tests including mo…

Incremental-Entity Personal Conceptions of Intelligence and Individualism-Collectivism in Italian Students

This article examines the relationship between Incremental-Entity personal conceptions of intelligence and the cultural dimension of Individualism-Collectivism in Italian students attending high school. Four types of individualism and collectivism were investigated: 1) Vertical-Individualism, characterized by independent and different self; 2) Horizontal-Individualism, characterized by independent and similar self; 3) Vertical-Collectivism, characterized by interdependent and different self; and 4) Horizontal-Collectivism, characterized by interdependent and similar self. The sample includes 250 students,3th and 5th graders. A battery of tests including a Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the…

Measuring Collectivism and Individualism in the Third Millenium

The aim in this study was to validate the Auckland Individualism-Collectivism Scale (AICS) across populations from 5 different countries and identify better ways to interpret the scores. Data were collected from New Zealand, Portugal, China, Italy, and Romania. The results indicate that the AICS is not only valid but also highly reliable (α > .70). Cluster analysis identified 4 clusters: low collectivism – high individualism; high collectivism – midlevel individualism; high collectivism – high individualism; and low collectivism – low individualism. Each group included individuals from all 4 clusters. The advantages of the AICS, the use of cluster analysis in cross-cultural measures, and…

Emotional variables and learning profiles in children with different levels of Intellectual Functioning

Concepções Pessoais de Inteligência: Estudo intercultural com estudantes portugueses, romenos e italianos.

La capacità di comunicazione referenziale: uno studio su soggetti con ritardo mentale.

Valutazione e intervento nelle difficoltà di lettura

Levels of anxiety and self-esteem associated to sport activity in university students: a pilot study.

Integrating self-efficacy in the cyclical process of paediatric asthma management: a new perspective.

Asthma management consists of a cyclical process based on clinical assessment of the patient, the implementation of therapeutic adjustments, and evaluation of the patient’s response. Self-efficacy is the person’s confidence in his or her ability to successfully perform a behaviour and guides the patient’s decisions for producing healthy behaviours. Studies have shown that asthma management is related to self-efficacy, which in turn can be influenced by various psychosocial factors. A literature search on the relationship between asthma and self-efficacy in paediatric age, has allowed us to hypothesize that adequate levels of self-efficacy might be achieved through a cyclical process, ‘the s…

Reading comprehension: think and know verbs.

Verbs such as think, know, remember, and guess play a pivotal role in understanding, monitoring, and transformation of internal states. We focus on the specific words as think and know, polysemous cognitive verbs that show hierarchical organization and high frequency of use in children's and adults' lexicons. According to Booth and Hall's model, think and know present a conceptual organization that involves low conceptual levels (perception, memory, comprehension) and high conceptual levels (evaluation, metacognition, planning). The aim of this research was to study the relationship between children's comprehension of text processing and the conceptual levels of the above-described verbs. …

Self-protective strategies and self-esteem in students

Gross-Motor and Cognitive Abilities in Down Syndrome: The efficacy of an integrated Exercised Training

Self-esteem, Defensive Strategies and Social Intelligence in the Adolescence

Abstract A variety of studies documented that self-esteem is related to protective strategies including self-handicapping and causal attributions in the school domain. In particular, these defensive modalities, both proactive and retroactive, refer to some of the maladaptive strategies employed by an individual, respectively before and after performing difficult and threatening tasks, to protect him or herself and maintain a positive self-esteem. Within the theoretical framework of self-regulation, the maintenance and the protection of competency self-images implies the social intelligence model of personality ( Cantor and Kihlstrom, 1987 ). The social intelligence, which includes self-conc…

PMA. Programma Motorio Arricchito. Educare allo sviluppo motorio e allo sviluppo delle funzioni esecutive in età prescolare

La sinergia mente-corpo nel ciclo di vita è oggetto di interesse sempre maggiorper gli psicologi dello sviluppo e dell’educazione. I risultati di ricerche multidisciplinari di kinesiologia, anatomia, neuroscienze e scienze dello sviluppo e dell’educazione convergono nel riconoscere gli effetti benefici dello svolgimento regolardi attività motoria sulle prestazioni cognitive e sulle funzioni esecutive, in modo specifico, sia negli adulti che nei bambini (Diamond,2015; Janssen et al., 2014; Lees, Hopkins, 2013). Tuttavia, ancora carenti e contraddittori sono gli studi realizzati in età prescolae, sebbene la fascia evolutiva compresa tra tre e cinque anni sia riconosciuta come età sensibile pe…

Influence of a Specific Aquatic Program on Social and Gross Motor Skills in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Three Case Reports

Swimming pool activities revealed to be efficacious to train psychomotor skills and increase adaptive behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a specific multi-systemic aquatic therapy (CI-MAT) on gross motor and social skills in three adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Methods: three adolescents with ASD of which two boys (M1 with a chronological age of 10.3 years and a mental age of 4.7 years; M2 with a chronological age of 14.6 and a mental age inferior to 4 years) and one girl (chronological age of 14.0 and a mental age inferior to 4 years). The study was divided into three phases: …

Effects of school-based interventions on motivation towards physical activity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Assuming that motivation is the key to initiate and sustain beneficial health behaviors, the aim of this systematic review was to analyze the effects of school-based physical activity interventions on a variety of motivational outcomes towards PA in school-aged children and adolescents. Methods A comprehensive literature search was carried out in six electronic databases to identify randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental trials examining the effects of PA interventions implemented during the regular school day, e.g., during physical education lessons or lunch breaks. Primary outcomes of interest were students' motivation, basic psychological needs, goal orientation…

Motor development and Down syndrome

Abstract The chapter aims to analyze motor development in Down syndrome (DS) population. In the light of a holistic perspective to typical and atypical development, there is a renewed scientific interest on the role of motor skills to promote general health. A multidisciplinary approach, that involves findings from psychology, neuroscience, kinesiology and education is employed. Motor proficiency is a set of functions necessary for everyday life which allow moving around in the environment and manipulating tools; it's typically articulated into posture, gross motor and fine motor skills. Ample research highlighted a strong correlation among Intellectual Quotient and motor skills demonstrati…

Depression, Anxiety at School and Self-Esteem in Children with Learning Disabilities

Educational research places emphasis on the fact that pupils with Learning Disabilities may develop depressive and anxiety symptoms characterized by lower levels of self-esteem. The aim of this research is to compare the levels of depression, anxiety at school and self-esteem in children with learning disabilities, mathematical disabilities and a control group who showed typical learning. The participants were 132 children (52 girls and 80 boys), with an average age of 9 years, attending the fourth grade of primary school. These pupils were selected by scores on a battery of tests commonly used in Italy for the assessment of learning disabilities. On the whole, analyses revealed that childr…

L’Assessment del profilo motivazionale: dallo sviluppo tipico a quello atipico.

Evaluation of Podalic Support and Monitoring of Balance Control in Children with and without Dyslexia: A Pilot Study

Background: The American Psychiatric Association has identified dyslexia as a neurobiological disorder. The aim of the study was to evaluate podalic support, balance control, and dyslexia’s effects on interpersonal relationships. Methods: Fifty-seven subjects were enrolled for this study. The subjects were divided into two groups. The experimental group was composed of children with diagnosis of dyslexia. The control group was composed of healthy subjects. Each subject underwent baropodometry and posturographic analysis. In addition, the Multidimensional Self-esteem Assessment test by Bracken was used for a precise measurement of self-esteem in both groups (TMA). Results: The static b…

Scaffolding for motivation by parents, and child homework motivations and emotions: Effects of a training programme

Background and aims Based on the principles of scaffolding for motivation and on the assumptions of self-determination theory, two studies aimed to assess the role played by perceived parental autonomy-supportive scaffolding on child homework autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, affect, and engagement. Samples and results The results of Study 1, which involved 122 parents and their children, showed that the higher the parental autonomous motivation, the more their children perceived them as autonomy-supportive while scaffolding for motivation, and hence developed autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, and engagement in homework. In Study 2, 37 parents were involved in a four-session trainin…

Learning and motor and mental health profiles in pupils with Borderline Intellectual Functioning and Average Intellectual Functioning

There is a lack of research addressing the study of the Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) in school-aged population. In children and adolescents with BIF high rates of school complaints, movement impairments and mental health disorders have been demonstrated. This study aims at comparing learning, motor and mental health profiles showed by pupils with BIF and pupils with Average Intellectual Functioning (AIF). Participants were 19 children with BIF and 19 with AIF. Learning, motor and mental health profiles were measured by multiple tests. Results show that pupils with BIF showed lower comprehension and decoding reading abilities, lower word and non-word reading as well as lower mat…

Executive functions in kindergarten children at risk for developmental coordination disorder

Executive functioning (EF) is a key cognitive process for development. Little is known about EF in Kindergarten children at risk for developmental coordination disorder (DCD), despite this age being one of the most critical and intensive period of motor and cognitive development. In our investigation we compared EF in kindergarten children at risk for DCD with Typically Developing (TD) children. Participants were 36 Italian children, 18 at risk for DCD (9 boys and 9 girls) who had a mean age of 4.6 years and 18 TD (9 boys and 9 girls) who had a mean age of 4.6. Executive functions were measured by tasks targeting cold executive functioning (working memory, fluency, inhibitory control) and t…

The Switch to Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Interplay between Personality and Mental Health on University Students

The switching from traditional to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging for students, determining an increase in physical and mental health problems. The current paper applied a two-step cluster analysis in a large sample of n = 1028 university students (Mage = 21.10 years, SD = 2.45 years; range: 18–30 years; 78.4% females). Participants responded to an online survey exploring neuroticism, trait/state anxiety, general self-efficacy, academic motivation, fear of COVID-19, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental health, and the help requests. Results showed two significant clusters of students having a Maladaptive Academic Profile (n = 456; 44.4%) or…

The sit up test to exhaustion as a test for muscular endurance evaluation

Aims/Hypothesis The aim of this study was to examine the sit up test to exhaustion as a field test for muscular endurance evaluation in a sample of sedentary people of both sexes. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed. Three-hundred-eighty-one participants volunteered for the study (28.5 ± 10.0 years; 168.2 ± 8.9 cm; 65.1 ± 11.1 kg), of which 194 males (27.5 ± 10.2 years; 173.6 ± 7.0 cm; 71.2 ± 5.2 kg) and 187 females (29.6 ± 10.1 years; 162.6 ± 7.1 cm; 58.7 ± 8.9 kg). Each subject voluntarily and randomly performed: a sit up test (SUT), a push up test (PUT), and a free weight squat test (ST), all till exhaustion. A multiple regression analysis was adopted for data analysis. Subsequ…

Lodare l’impegno o l’abilita’? Uno studio sulla rappresentazione dell’intelligenza negli insegnanti

TRAINING MULTIMEDIALI PER LA RIABILITAZIONE DELLA DISLESSIA.

The Influence of an Enriched Sport Program on Children’s Sport Motivation in the School Context: The ESA PROGRAM

Purpose: Besides the evident positive effect on body development, physical activity has proven to boost executive functions, especially if the exercises are enriched with cognitive stimuli. Previous studies have shown that introducing challenging exercises in the physical activity routine can also enhance motivation. Therefore, enriching a physical education program with cognitively challenging exercises may also foster children’s motivation during physical education classes, where the motivation is high at the beginning of the school year and low at the end of it. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to test if a sport program enriched by cognitive stimuli may improve kids’ motivation o…

The effects of school anxiety on self-esteem and self-handicapping in pupils attending primary school

School anxiety appears to be related to self-esteem and self-handicapping strategies. This study aims at identifying children with atypical levels of anxiety and examining the relationship between their self-esteem at school and their use of self-handicapping strategies. The sample included 120 pupils (M = 8.6 years) attending third grade of primary school and was divided into three groups: pupils with low anxiety, average anxiety and high anxiety. Children were administered the Scale for Evaluation of Anxiety (SAFA A), the TMA - Multidimensional test of Self-esteem- and the Self-Handicapping Scale for Children. On the whole, results demonstrate a nearly normative distribution of school anx…

Maternal Competence, Maternal Burnout and Personality Traits in Italian Mothers after the First COVID-19 Lockdown

This study aimed to investigate the maternal sense of competence and maternal burnout in Italian mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample was composed of 278 mothers of children/adolescents aged 4 to 17 years old. Participants were recruited after the end of the first spring total Italian lockdown (June–October 2020) through online advertisements on websites and social media. We hypothesized a model in which a specific personality trait, such as neuroticism, affected maternal competence by the mediating role of maternal burnout. Results showed that neuroticism was directly and negatively predictive of perception of maternal competence, and it was negatively associated with maternal …

Investigating parental beliefs concerning facilitators and barriers to the physical activity in down syndrome and typical development

Family is a crucial factor to determine the amount, the duration, and the complexity of children’s sport activities. This study aims at comparing the beliefs concerning the involvement in sport activities among parents of children with Down syndrome (DS) and parents of typically developing children (TDC). A phenomenological theoretical framework was adopted to realize semistructured interviews with the parents. The participants were 35 parents: 19 with children and adolescents with DS and 16 with TDC. The main facilitation/barrier themes identified by the parents of children with DS were the family and the expert at Adapted Physical Activity (APA) instructors. Conversely, the parents of TD…

Rappresentazione dell’intelligenza e autostima in studenti italiani e portoghesi.

Stile attributivo e lessico di stati interni in soggetti con ritardo mentale.

Social closeness,salivary hormones and physical exercise

Introduction: Saliva collection and analysis is quickly becoming a useful and non-invasive tool for the evaluation of sport biomarkers. The aim of this study is to create a multidisciplinary assessment model, which can help to provide psychological and physiological responses, related to sport performances, social closeness and performance anxiety management in team sports. Materials and methods: We enrolled in our research 26 female volleyball players aged 13 ± 1 years old of three different teams (T1: 12 players; T2: 9 players; T3: 5 players). Saliva collection was carried out before and after the match for every team. Then we analyzed cortisol and progesterone concentrations through Elis…

Self-esteem at school and self-handicapping in childhood: comparison of groups with learning disabilities.

Recent research has focused on the role of self-esteem and self-handicapping strategies in the school domain. Self-handicapping refers to maladaptive strategies employed by adults and children for protection and maintenance of positive school self esteem. In this study the self-esteem and the self-handicapping strategies of children with dyslexia, reading comprehension disabilities, and mathematical disabilities were compared to a control group with normal learning. There were 56 children whose mean age was 8 (23 girls, 33 boys), attending Grade 3 of primary school. These pupils were selected by scores on a battery of learning tests commonly used in Italy for assessment of learning disabil…

Cognitive and Physical Activity-Related Aspects of Children Associated to the Performance of the Crunning Movement

The aim of this investigation was to identify possible related factors associated to the performance of the crunning test in European children and adolescents. A total number of 559 children and adolescents (age range 6&ndash

Profilo motivazionale e lessico di stati interni in soggetti ipoacusici

“CALCIAPENSIERI” PROJECT: AN ADD-ON TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SUBJECTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Introduction If physical activity is a pivotal component of good health for everyone, there is an increasing emphasis on its importance for psychiatric patients affected from schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s dementia, major depressive disorder (Knochel et al. 2012). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of soccer practice on the self reported health quality of life (SRHQL) and sports performance (SP) in psychotic subjects. Methods Eighteen schizophrenic male patients were randomized into either a trained (TG) and control group (CG). TG was trained for 12 weeks by two soccer training sessions/week. CG did not perform any regular sports activity during experimental period. Anthropome…

INTEGRATIVE APPROACH BETWEEN GENE VARIANTS, NEUROENDOCRINE EFFECTORS AND ANXIETY RESPONSE: A PILOT STUDY

The aim of this study is to investigate the neurobiology of stress/emotionality, creating a multidisciplinary assessment model, which can help to provide psychological and physiological responses depending on the genetic background related to sport performances, social closeness and performance anxiety management in team sports. We enrolled 20 female volleyball players aged 13 ± 1 years old played in two different teams during a regional championship final. Saliva collection was carried out before and after the match. In order to evaluate the neuroendocrine effectors involved in stress and performance, we analyzed cortisol and progesterone levels through Elisa standard kit as well as HSP70 …

Potenziamento delle abilità di lettura in studenti incrementali ed entitari: un'analisi longitudinale

Motor Coordination and Global Development in Subjects with Down Syndrome: The Influence of Physical Activity

Background: Many research studies have investigated motor impairments and delayed development in children with Down Syndrome (DS). However, very few studies detected these features in adults with DS. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between motor coordination and global development in subjects with DS, including adults. Furthermore, the second aim was to detect any differences in motor coordination and global development as a function of the practice of physical activity (PA) in this population. Methods: Twenty-five participants with DS (10 f, 15 m), with a chronological mean age of 27.24 years and development mean age of cognitive area of 4.93 years, were enrolled an…

Soccer practice as vehicle to improve sporting performance and psychophysical health in psychotic subjects

In recent years there has been a growing attention in the use of soccer as a vehicle to improve mental health. Local health organizations are beginning to understand that soccer may be an effective way to promote good mental health and help increase access to, and uptake of, services for mental health service users (Pringle 2009). The aim of this study was to investigate effects of soccer practice on the psychophysical perception and performance in psychotic subjects. Eighteen overweight male subjects, 10 trained psychotics [TPs] (age: 36+/-6 years; height: 164+/-7.00 cm; weight: 77.44+/-13.60 kg; BMI: 28.55+/-3.70) and 8 no-trained psychotics [NTPs] (age: 35+/-5 years; height: 163+/-4.00 c…

Happiness in Physical Activity: A Longitudinal Examination of Children Motivation and Negative Affect in Physical Activity

Physical activity has beneficial effects on health and is extremely recommended for children's well-being. Understanding risk factors that could cause negative affect in children practicing physical activity is hugely relevant, and there is a growing consensus that autonomous and controlled motivation in the self-determination theory (SDT) framework could offer a broader perspective. Consequently, this study aims to examine the longitudinal relations between autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and negative affect in physical activity, using a sample of children that regularly participate in physical activity. One hundred forty children in the range age between 7 and 11 (M = 8.45, …

Physical activity and self-esteem in childhood

PROFILI MOTIVAZIONALI IN SOGGETTI CON SINDROME DI DOWN.

Validation in Young Soccer Players of the Modified Version of the Harre Circuit Test: The Petrucci Ability Test

The evaluation of soccer players’ physical fitness from youth onward is important for monitoring performance and planning training. While health-related factors present valid and reliable tests, the skill-related component should be studied in depth. An interesting test to evaluate the skill-related factors is the Harre circuit test (HTC); unfortunately, this test includes the somersault, an element not present in soccer. The aim of the present study is the validation of the Petrucci ability test (PAT), a variation of the HTC without the somersault for young soccer players. Children and adolescents (age range 10–13 years old) soccer players concluded the 20-m, the HTC and the PAT. To establ…

ATTRIBUTION STYLE AND INTERNAL STATE LEXICON: A COMPARISON BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY AND TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT

Current theories of intellectual disabilities underlie an approach centred on a more complete description of the development, known as “the whole child approach”, in which emphasis is placed on the reciprocal relationships between the cognitive and motivational dimensions which characterise development. In particular, subjects with intellectual disabilities, who have experienced repeated failures, may develop an attribution profile characterised by a bias towards primarily external causes. However the consideration of internal causes, such as effort and ability, requires the involvement of higher metacognitive and metalinguistic levels. Consequently, attribution to effort requires an awaren…

A teacher-led motor programme to enhance pre-literacy and motor skills in kindergarten children

Structured motor tasks may affect cognitive development by creating a cognitively challenging “enriched environment’, giving opportunity for social cooperation, increasing the joy to learn through play, improving the sense of mastery and competence. The study investigated the association between motor and cognitive exercises, through a teacher-led programme, to provide kindergarten children with the skills necessary for school literacy. Using a cluster-randomized trial design with an intervention group (N = 110) and a control group (N = 64), we examined the effects of a 3-month teacher-led motor programme enriched by executive function tasks. In the intervention group, significant gains wer…

Strategie di Self-Handicapping e abilità di lettura

Theories of Intelligence in Children with Reading Disabilities: A Training Proposal

A recent trend in the study of reading difficulties promotes multidimensional intervention, focusing on the reciprocal influences exerted by cognitive and emotional-motivational variables. This study evaluated improvements in reading performance as a function of metacognitive training in 36 children ( M age = 8.7 yr.) with different representations of intelligence. Posttest evaluations show significantly more improvement in reading comprehension in children with an incremental theory of intelligence. These results indicate the importance of treatment programmes that take into account both the specificity of deficits and factors relating to the domain of motivation.

Studiu intercultural de validare preliminarã a scalei de conceptii personale asupra inteligentei (SCPI)

Strategie di Self-Handicapping e Autostima in bambini con e senza Difficoltà di Apprendimento

Strategie di Self-Handicapping e profilo motivazionale: un’indagine su studenti di scuola secondaria di secondo grado e universitari

Intellectual disabilities and physical education

Physical Activity Engagement in Young People with Down Syndrome: Investigating Parental Beliefs

Background Despite the wide documentation of the physical/psychological benefits derived from regular physical activity (PA), high levels of inactivity are reported among people with Down syndrome. This study aims to explore parental beliefs concerning involvement, facilitators/barriers and benefits of PA in young people. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 parents of young people with Down syndrome. Results Three facilitation themes were identified: (i) the support derived from family; (ii) the availability of APA (Adapted Physical Activity) expert instructors and coaches; (iii) the challenging nature of sport activities. Three barrier themes were identified: (i) the l…

Sport Intervention Programs (SIPs) to Improve Health and Social Inclusion in People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review.

Inactivity is a major issue that causes physical and psychological health problems, especially in people with intellectual disability (ID). This review discusses the beneficial effects of sport intervention programs (SIPs) in people with ID, and aims to provide an overview of the scientific literature in order to identify the main factors influencing the participation of people with ID in SIPs. Twelve papers were analyzed and compared. The results show a large variety in examined SIPs, concerning participants’ age and disability, intervention characteristics and context, as well as measures and findings. The main factors essential for people with ID partaking in SIPs appeared to be suitabl…

Improving Children's Coordinative Skills and Executive Functions

Recent studies have focused on the positive influence of regular physical activity on executive functioning in children. Coordinative skills (agility) and executive functions (updating, attention, inhibition and planning processes) were investigated in children before and after 6 months of a Football Exercise Program compared to a control group of sedentary peers. The participants were 44 children aged 8.8 years: Group 1 comprised 24 children in a football (i.e., soccer) exercise program and Group 2 comprised 20 sedentary children. At pre-test and post-test, coordinative skills and executive functions were measured. After the Football Exercise Program, there were significant differences be…

L’assessment del profilo motivazionale scolastico

Effects of a Physical Activity Intervention on Physical Fitness of schoolchildren: The Enriched Sport Activity Program

Background: Physical fitness in youth is a predictor of health in adulthood. The main objective of the present study was to understand if an enriched sport activity program could increase physical fitness in a population of schoolchildren. Methods: In a sample of 672 children aged 10.0 &plusmn

THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MANAGEMENT OF BODY WEIGHT IN PSYCHOTIC SUBJECTS

Psychotic subjects live an unhealthy lifestyle that tends to reinforce the metabolic syndrome (1). It is known, indeed, that antipsychotic treatments stimulate appetite (2) and induce weight gain (3). Several therapeutic approaches including psycho-educational behavioral interventions and exercise training programs have been elaborated in order to manage antipsychotic-induced weight gain (4,5). Wirshing et al. (2006) elaborated a specific project based on oral presentations in order to educate psychotic subjects about lifestyle changes they can adopt to reduce weight gain. They showed that patients with mental illness are able to benefit from educational presentations about nutrition and a …

Effects of a ludic-motor program on motor development and early literacy skills in preschool children

There is insufficient evidence in the literature about many correlations between motor and cognitive skills in 3-5 year old children [1]. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the development of the gross motor skills and the prerequisites of reading/writing following a ludic-motor program (LMP) in pre-school children. This study has involved 189 children (age: 4.62 ± 0.97 years; height: 107.83 ± 7.82 cm, body weight: 19.84 ± 4.95 kg) attending 8 kindergartens in Palermo. The children were randomly divided in a control group (C, n= 29), a 1-intervention group (I-1, n= 120) and a 2-intervention group (I-2, n= 40). I-1 and I-2 respectively performed 4 and 10 hours/week…

The Effect of an enriched sport program on children's executive functions: the ESA program

Purpose: The effects of physical exercise on executive functions (EFs) are well documented. EFs are involved in daily activities, and their development determines the quality of people’s future life, both in terms of mental health and quality of life. The purpose of the current paper is to evaluate the effects of a physical education program, elaborated within the Enriched Sports Activity Program (ESA Program), an Erasmus + Project, on EFs, namely, visuospatial working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and task switching. Method: Data were collected on November 2017 (t1) and May 2018 (t2). At t1, a sample of 357 children from four European countries (Italy, Germany, Lithuan…

Personal conceptions of intelligence: Cross-cultural comparisons between Portuguese and Italian students

This article presents some results of an intercultural study on personal conceptions of intelligence. The sample includes 1,540 students, 811 Italians and 729 Portuguese, from both sexes and of different socioeconomic statuses, of secondary Grades 10 and 12 and of the 1st grade of several university courses in both countries. The instrument used was The Personal Conceptions of Intelligence Scale (Faria, 2003), with 26 items, translated and adapted to Portuguese and Italian. The level of education and the cultural context appear as the only variables with either principal and interaction effects on the differentiation of personal conceptions of intelligence, which are analyzed according to t…

Psychological variables in medically assisted reproduction: a systematic review

Introduction: The paths of medically assisted reproduction represent the most important scientific progress to cope with the inability to achieve spontaneous conception (SC) and to reach desired parenthood. Couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) and couples not facing ovulation induction and artificial fertilization show sufficient levels of well-being and psychological adjustment. However, in some cases couples undergoing ART show lower perceived quality of life than couples with SC. Our aim is to investigate the main psychological variables involved in the special risk condition of medically assisted reproduction and how they could direct specific guidelines to enhance …

Physical fitness and motor coordination monitoring during enriched sport activities in a sample of children living in Europe. The Esa Program

Enriched Sport Activities Program (ESA) is an Evidence-based Practice Exercise Program cofounded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union (Key action:Sport - 579661-EPP1-2016-2-IT-SPO-SCP). It aims to enhance social inclusion, equal opportunities and psycho-physical well being in school-age children with typical development and special needs trough sport activities enriched by cognitive tasks. A multidisciplinary approach has been employed; in detail, health - and skills-related physical fitness components, as well as developmental psychology and neuroscience research are the theoretical basis to implement an evidence-based program suitable to increase sport compliance in 7 different…

Influence of a specific aquatic adapted physical activity in a child with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A case study

Aquatic environment offers an exciting and motivating place for children and aquatic exercise programs provide an appropriate setting for early educational interventions in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a specific Multi-systemic Aquatic Therapy (CI-MAT) on gross motor and adaptive skills in a child with ASD. The study was divided into three phases: baseline, 12-week CI-MAT program and Post-Test. Child was administered a battery of tests incorporating anthropometric measurements, gross motor development test (TGM test), Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) and Psychoeducational Profile (PEP-3) before and after a …

Effects of Commitment on Fear of Failure and Burnout in Teen Spanish Handball Players

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors if they are requested, and without undue reservation (jgonzalez@ugr.es).

Concepções pessoais de inteligência e auto-estima: que diferenças entre estudantes portuguese e italianos?

Neste artigo apresentam-se alguns dos resultados de um estudo intercultural sobre as concepções pessoais de inteligência e a auto-estima global, comparando alunos de dois níveis de ensino (secundário e superior) de Portugal e de Itália. A amostra total compreende 1540 alunos, 811 italianos e 729 portugueses, de ambos os sexos e de diferentes níveis sócio-económicos, frequentando os 10.º e o 12.º anos do ensino secundário e o 1.º ano de vários cursos universitários em ambos os países. Os instrumentos utilizados foram a Escala de Con- 763 cepções Pessoais de Inteligência (Faria, 2003), com 26 itens, e a Escala de Auto-Estima Global (Rosenberg, 1965), com 10 itens, traduzidas e adaptadas para …

Cognitive and motivational monitoring during enriched sport activities in a sample of children living in Europe. The ESA program

Enriched Sport Activities (ESA) Program is an Evidence-based Practice Exercise Program cofounded by the Erasmus + Programme of the European Union (Key action: Sport-579661-EPP-1-2016-2-IT-SPO-SCP). It aims to enhance social inclusion, equal opportunities and psycho-physical wellbeing in children with typical development and special needs. This aim will be pursued through two ways: (1) Children and preadolescents’ participation in Enriched Sport Activities (ESA) Program; (2) Parents’ involvement and education on cognitive, motivational and social benefits of Physical Activities (PA) in their children. Recent research showed that high-level cognitive processes, such as inhibition, shifting, w…

Individualismo-Collettivismo e Concezioni Personali dell'Intelligenza in Adolescenti

Strategie di self-handicapping e profilo motivazionale: un’indagine su studenti di scuola superiore e universitari

Anxiety, self-esteem and self-handicapping: A comparison between pupils with dyscalculia and normal learning | Ansia, autostima e self-handicapping: Un confronto tra bambini con discalculia e apprendimento nella norma

Clinical and educational research places emphasis on the emotional and motivational factors which characterise learning disabilities. The aim of this research is to study the relationship between the school anxiety, the school self-esteem and the employ of self-handicapping strategies in children with dyscalculia and normal learning. Sixty pupils attending third grade junior school were given a battery of tests assessing emotional and motivational variables. On the whole, the results show that children with dyscalculia have higher levels of anxiety and lower self-esteem. Moreover, the anxiety seems to influence the self-esteem only in the group of children with normal learning.

Effects of the Enriched Sports Activities-Program on Executive Functions in Italian Children.

Physical activity (PA) during childhood plays an important role in brain development. This role is played in both the structural domain, prefrontal cortex area, and in the functional domain, involving the higher cognitive functions, including the executive functions (EF). Working memory (WM), inhibition, and switching as fundamental EF were investigated in an Italian children sample before and after four months of an Enriched Sports Activities-Program (ESA-Program). EFs were assessed at pre-test and post-test using, respectively, the digit span test, the color word Stroop test, and the trail making test derived from Millisecond Software. The Italian sample was composed of 141 children aged …

Effects of a physical education program on the development of early literacy abilities in preschool children

Introduction Several studies showed a relationship between physical activity and cognition in school-aged children (Carson et al 2015). The aim of this study was to analyse whether the amount and frequency of a physical education (PE) program affected the early reading and writing skills in preschool children. Methods This study involved 189 children (age: 4.62 ± 0.97 years; height: 107.83 ± 7.82 cm, body weight: 19.84 ± 4.95 kg) of 8 Palermo kindergartens who were randomly divided in a control group (C, n= 29), a 1-intervention group (I-1, n= 120) and a 2-intervention group (I-2, n= 40). I-1 and I-2 children performed a PE program of 16-week length for 4 and 10 hours/week, respectively (to…

Evolving role of physical education on psycho-motor development in children with disabilities

Rappresentazione delle abilità in individui con ritardo mentale

A single bout of physical exercise does not affect young adults’ executive functions

Summary Study aim. The purpose of the current study is to determine the impact of single bouts of physical exercise of different duration and intensity on young adults’ executive functions. Material and methods. The study employed 81 participants (37 females, 44 males) ranging between 19 and 39 years (mean age: 24.6 ± 4.08 years; mean height: 168 ± 9.67 cm; mean weight: 67.2 ± 13.0 kg). The executive functions were assessed through the Stroop task, the Tower of London test, and the Corsi block test. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three experimental conditions (30-second Wingate test condition, an incremental intensity exercise test, and a submaximal constant-intensity tes…

Disabilità di lettura e rappresentazione dell'intelligenza:efficacia di un training

La Scala delle Concezioni Personali dell’Intelligenza: un confronto tra le caratteristiche psicometriche della versione portoghese e di quella italiana

Neurobiology of performance anxiety:A new approach

The aim of this study is to investigate the neurobiology of stress/emotionality, creating a multidisciplinary assessment model, which can help to provide psychological and physiological responses depending on the genetic background related to sport performances, social closeness and performance anxiety management in team sports. We enrolled 20 female volleyball players aged 13 ± 1 years old played in two different teams during a regional championship final. Saliva collection was carried out before and after the match. In order to evaluate the neuroendocrine effectors involved in stress and performance, we analyzed cortisol and progesterone levels through Elisa standard kit as well as HSP70 …

Strategie di self-handicapping: un confronto tra dominio sportivo e dominio scolastico

Profilo motivazionale nella Sindrome di Prader-Willi: analisi di un caso

Strategie di self-handicapping e profilo motivazionale: un’indagine su studenti di scuola primaria

LA RAPPRESENTAZIONE DELL’INTELLIGENZA E L’AUTOSTIMA: UNO STUDIO CROSSCULTURALE

L'impiego di strategie di self-handicapping: un confronto tra dislessici e normolettori

Homework Stress and Learning Disability: The Role of Parental Shame, Guilt, and Need Frustration

Using a cross-sectional design, this study examined the relationships between parental guilt, shame, need frustration, and homework stress in students with learning disabilities (LD) and typically developing students (TD) and their parents. One hundred and eight parent-child dyads (54 LD, 54 TD) completed questionnaires to assess homework stress, parental need frustration, guilt, and shame. Parents of students with LD reported more stress, need frustration, shame, and guilt than parents of TD students. For the LD group, shame mediated the association between parental need frustration and parental and child stress whereas guilt mediated the association between parental need frustration and p…

Emotional Profile and Intellectual Functioning

Insufficient literature has been produced addressing children with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) and gifted intellectual functioning (GIF). The goal of this work is to compare levels of self-esteem, depression, anxiety at school, and insecurity among children with BIF and GIF, and a control group of average intellectual functioning (AIF). There were participants of 104 children (fourth grade of primary school). Analyses revealed that children with BIF showed a lower level of self-esteem and higher levels of depression and school anxiety. Moreover, our findings highlight the co-occurrence of school anxiety, depressed mood, and insecurity among the BIF and AIF groups. One of the …

Motivazione e sport di squadra: il ruolo delle strategie di autosabotaggio

Soccer practice as an add-on treatment in the management of individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia

Giuseppe Battaglia,1,3 Marianna Alesi,2 Michele Inguglia,4 Michele Roccella,2 Giovanni Caramazza,3 Marianna Bellafiore,1,3 Antonio Palma1,3 1Department of Law, Social and Sport Science, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; 2Department of Psychology, University of Palermo, Palermo Italy; 3Regional Sports School of CONI Sicilia, Sicily, Italy; 4Local Health of Palermo, Palermo, Italy Abstract: Physical activity is an important aspect of good health for everyone; it is even more important for psychiatric patients who usually live an unhealthy lifestyle. In recent years, there has been growing focus on the use of soccer as a vehicle to improve the health of subjects with severe mental illness…

Importance of the Motivational Climate in Goal, Enjoyment, and the Causes of Success in Handball Players

The purpose of the study is to examine the effects of the motivational climate created by the coach and perceived by a group of young handball players on their goal orientations, their beliefs regarding reasons for success and their self-satisfaction. The study participants were 159 young handball players. Players were administered a battery composed of tests to measure the above-mentioned motivational constructs. Results showed that a perceived mastery-oriented motivational climate was positively related to a task-centered goal orientation, enjoyment, and a belief that success may be achieved through effort. In contrast, a perceived performance-orientated training climate was linked to an …

Attribuzioni causali e lessico di stati fisiologici, emotivi e cognitivi nel ritardo mentale.

Gross motor proficiency and intellectual functioning

This cross-sectional study examines differences in gross motor proficiency as a function of different intellectual functioning profiles. Two motor areas have been investigated as being equally essential to gross motor functions in every-day life: locomotion and object control. It aims to compare gross motor skills endorsed by children with Down syndrome (DS), children with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF), and typically developing children (TDC). Group 1 was composed of 18 children with DS (chronological age=8.22), group 2 was composed of 18 children with BIF (chronological age=9.32), and group 3 was composed of 18 children with typical development (TD) (chronological age=9.28). Gr…

Properties of the italian version of the Body Weight Image and Self-Esteem (B-WISE) in a non-clinical sample

This study aims at assessing psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Body Weight Image and Self-Esteem (B-WISE) originally developed by Awad and Voruganti (2004) with psychiatric patients. The subjects were 1,033 non-clinical Italians with an average chronological age of 27.49 years (SD = 8.91). With regard to gender, there were 547 females and 491 males. Participants were administered self-report instruments: the B-WISE Questionnaire (Awad and Voruganti, 2004) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965). The exploratory factor analysis revealed the existence of 3 factors explaining the 48.03% of total variance. With regard to internal consistency, our study showed a not satisf…

Concezioni personali dell'intelligenza e individualismo-collettivismo in studenti italiani e portoghesi

Reducing homework stress by increasing adoption of need-supportive practices: Effects of an intervention with parents

Abstract Homework is widely recognized as a source of stress for both parents and children, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study tested the hypothesis that the frustration of the basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness is the main source of stress and that satisfying these needs should reduce stress and lead to more positive outcomes. Study 1 assessed the associations between parental and child need frustration, homework stress and parental adoption of need-thwarting practices (n = 171 parent/child dyads). Study 2 tested the effectiveness of a four-session parental training (n = 55) program focused on helping parents increase their need-support…

Lodare l'impegno o l'abilità? Uno studio sulla rappresentazione dell'intelligenza nei genitori

Self-Esteem and Self-Handicapping in Learning Disabilities

Motor differentiation`s and cognitive skill in pre-scholar age

espanolExiste escasa literatura cientifica sobre la preparacion para la alfabetizacion en ninos de Educacion Infantil con riesgo de Trastorno o Desorden del Desarrollo de la Coordinacion (DCD), a pesar de que esta edad es una de las etapas mas importantes para el desarrollo motor y cognitivo. En este estudio, comparamos las habilidades de pre- alfabetizacion entre ninos de infantil con riesgo de DCD y ninos con desarrollo tipico (TD). La muestra estuvo formada por 26 ninos italianos, con una edad media de 5,1 anos, de los cuales, 13 con riesgo de DCD y 13 TD que asistian a diferentes escuelas de Educacion Infantil. Las habilidades de pre-alfabetizacion se midieron a traves de diversas tarea…

Does Physical Activity Improve Inhibition in Kindergarteners? A Pilot Study

Substantial empirical evidence supports the positive effects of physical activity (PA) on executive functions, but not all forms of physical activity benefit equally. Among kindergarteners, cognitively-engaging exercise seems to more strongly effect EF than simple exercise. We aimed to investigate several qualitatively different exercise formats on kindergarteners' inhibition. Participants were 75 children (M age = 68.1 months), recruited from 14 classrooms of three kindergarten schools. They were randomly assigned to three groups: control group, free play group (non-cognitively-engaging PA), and an intervention group (cognitively-engaging PA). The intervention group performed 18 sessions …

Reading decoding disabilities: the role of socio-cultural level

Personal conceptions of intelligence affect outcome in a multimedia reading training program.

Personal conceptions of intelligence seem to make a significant contribution to overcoming a reading deficit, as indicated in our earlier research. The present aim was to assess improvements in reading-decoding following training of children with reading-decoding problems and different conceptions of intelligence (incremental or entity). It was expected that treatment of children with an incremental representation would improve more. Participants were 20 children (10 girls, 10 boys) whose average age was 8.6 yr., who attended Grade 3 of elementary school, and who were selected from 675 pupils. Children were given a multimedia test to measure motivational factors such as conceptions of inte…

The Psychological Impact of Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic. A Survey on a Sample of Italian Undergraduates

The COVID-19 pandemic created a risk to all educational system levels, ranging from primary to university grades, due to social restriction measures of isolation worldwide. Switching from the traditional educational system to Online Learning (OL) was challenging for many undergraduates due to the lack of Internet connectivity or digital devices and a suitable home study environment. Therefore, a survey study on a sample of 1069 undergraduates (78.5% female; Mage = 21.72; SD = 4.05) investigated the interrelation among psychological skills for managing learning habits and strategies, academic achievement, social interaction, and mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic was perform…

Improvement of gross motor and cognitive abilities by an exercise training program: three case reports

Marianna Alesi,1 Giuseppe Battaglia,2 Michele Roccella,1 Davide Testa,1 Antonio Palma,2 Annamaria Pepi1 1Department of Psychology, 2Department of Law, Social and Sport Science, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy Background: This work examined the efficacy of an integrated exercise training program (coach and family) in three children with Down syndrome to improve their motor and cognitive abilities, in particular reaction time and working memory. Methods: The integrated exercise training program was used in three children with Down syndrome, comprising two boys (M1, with a chronological age of 10.3 years and a mental age of 4.7 years; M2, with a chronological age of 14.6 years and a ment…

Le Strategie di Self – Handicapping nello Sport.

Rappresentazioni dell’intelligenza e apprendimento scolastico

Personal Conceptions of intelligence and Self-Esteem: cross-cultural comparisons between portuguese and italian students.

Self-Esteem and body-image in individuals practicing fitness activities

Attribution style in adolescents with Down’s sindrome

Educational research places emphasis on the fact that individuals who have experienced repeated failures may develop an attribution profile characterized by a bias towards primarily external causes. The aim of this study is to compare the attribution style of adolescents with Down's syndrome with that of normal children and adolescents matched for mental and chronological age; three groups consisting of 10 participants each were employed, an experimental group and two control groups were employed. The experimental group were Down's syndrome adolescents. Participants in the first control group were matched to the experimental groups for mental age, and those in the second for chronological a…

La sindrome di Prader-Willi: analisi di un caso di adolescente.

Learning Disabilities and motivational profiles

Learning disabilities

Rendimento scolastico e intelligenza sociale in adolescenza.

Food literacy predictors and associations with physical and emergent literacy in pre-schoolers: results from the Training-to-Health Project

AbstractObjective:Food literacy (FL) is a crucial need encompassing basic literacy and fundamental movement skills. The present study aimed to investigate the FL level in pre-schoolers and to evaluate the effect of potential predictors and the associations with gross motor and emergent literacy skills.Design:Cross-sectional study conducted within the Training-to-Health Project.Setting:Kindergartens (n 21) in the Palermo City Council, Italy.Participants:Pre-school children aged 3–6 years (n 921) followed education sessions on nutritional topics, practical activities and compiled prearranged sheets. FL was assessed by the five-domain toolkit ‘preschool-FLAT’; gross motor and emergent literacy…

Parental Distress and Perception of Children’s Executive Functioning after the First COVID‐19 Lockdown in Italy

The spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and the consequential first italian lockdown to minimize viral transmission, have resulted in many significant changes in the every-day lives of families, with an increased risk of parental burnout. This study explores the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Italy on parental distress and parental perceptions of children’s executive functions (EFs). Participants were 308 Italian parents with children between 4 and 17 years of age; they were recruited through online advertisements on websites and social media, and they were given an online survey. The measures were: the balance between risks and resources (BR2) and the executive functionin…

Parental Resources in Parents of Children with Special Needs (SNs) at the Time of COVID-19

Background. The limitations imposed by governments for containing the spread of COVID-19 have affected familial relationships, especially those of families dealing with children with special needs or chronic illness conditions. The current study aims to better understand what pathological/disability condition has impacted parental resources, sense of competence, and perception of children’s executive functioning the most. Methods. A sample of 648 parents was asked to answer a survey assessing children’s condition (typical development, specific learning disorder, autism spectrum syndrome, chronic illness), parental resources, parenting sense of competence (distinguished into pare…

Effects of a Motivational Climate on Psychological Needs Satisfaction, Motivation and Commitment in Teen Handball Players

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the motivational climate created by the coach and perceived by a group of young high-performance handball players on their sport motivation, self-determination, sport psychological needs and sport commitment. The study participants were 479 young handball players. The age range was 16&ndash

Personal conceptions of intelligence in children with reading decoding disabilities

Lettura e motivazione

Inclusive physical activity games at school: The role of teachers’ attitude toward inclusion

IntroductionInclusive physical activity games at school can be useful for teachers dealing with students with disabilities. The use of inclusive strategies and games can be directly linked to teachers’ self-efficacy and familiarity with the inclusive strategies, while it could be indirectly influenced by their attitude toward inclusion and, in a smaller part, by social desirability in their response. Moreover, teachers’ responses could be different among the different school grades. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to investigate the role of attitude toward inclusion, social desirability, self-efficacy, and familiarity in the use of physical activity games at school in teachers fr…

Emotional Competence in Primary School Children: Examining the Effect of a Psycho-Educational Group Intervention: A Pilot Prospective Study

Emotional competence (EC) is a key component of children’s psychological, cognitive, and social development, and it is a central element of learning. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing a psycho-educational group intervention aimed at improving children’s emotional competence (EC), quality of integration and scholastic skills. A total of 229 children (123 females; M Age = 7.22 years; SD = 0.97 years) completed the Pictures of Facial Affect (POFA), the Drawn Stories Technique, the Classroom Drawing, and the Colored Progressive Matrices. The total sample was randomly divided into an intervention group (N = 116) who took part in psycho-educational a…

Le rappresentazioni delle abilità incrementale ed unitarie nell'apprendimento: una prospettiva evolutiva

Self-esteem, body image and B.M.I. in people attending fitness classes

Over the last decade there have been several studies which support the role that physical exercise plays in the promotion of well-being and positive mental health. A crucial aspect in the well-being is the relationship between self-esteem and body-image. Anyway limited theoreticallybased longitudinal studies on body image and its relationship with selfesteem among adult men and women is documented (Grossbard, Lee, Neighbors, Larimer, 2009; Mellor, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, McCabe, Ricciardelli, 2010). Different cultural standards for ideal body types have been identified: for females a thin figure represents attractiveness and for males, a more muscular build symbolizes power and success. Body ma…

Concepções Pessoais de Inteligência: estudo intercultural com estudentas portugueses, romenos e italianos

Investigating the improvement of decoding abilities and working memory in children with Incremental or Entity personal conceptions of intelligence: two case reports

One of the most significant current discussions has led to the hypothesis that domain-specific training programs alone are not enough to improve reading achievement or working memory abilities. Incremental or Entity personal conceptions of intelligence may be assumed to be an important prognostic factor to overcome domain-specific deficits. Specifically, incremental students tend to be more oriented toward change and autonomy and are able to adopt more efficacious strategies. This study aims at examining the effect of personal conceptions of intelligence to strengthen the efficacy of a multidimensional intervention program in order to improve decoding abilities and working memory. Participa…

How does physical education affect the development locomotor and object control skills in preschool children?

Introduction Unlike other European countries, in Italian kindergartens the physical education (PE) teacher is not including in the school organic personnel. This is frequently associated with lack of opportunities to perform PE by preschool children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse whether the effects of a PE program on the development of locomotor and object control skills in preschool children would depend on the hour amount of intervention. Methods This study involved 189 children (age: 4.62 ± 0.97 years; Height: 107.83 ± 7.82 cm, body weight: 19.84 ± 4.95 kg) of 8 Palermo kindergartens who were randomly divided in a control group (C, n= 29), an intervention group 1 (I1, …

Preliminary evaluation of a short version questionnaire for Executive Functioning Self-Report (EF-SR)

The aim of the present study is the development and the evaluation of preliminary psychometric characteristics of a short form self-report questionnaire to assess executive functioning (EF). The research was conducted in a sample of 316 Italian children that attended primary or secondary schools, with an age range between 7 and 11. EFA showed that Executive Functioning Self-Report (EF-SR) is composed of eleven items that are adequately represented by a single factor that characterizes the total score of the EFs. Furthermore, preliminary analyses showed an adequate level of skewness and kurtosis, of internal reliabilities, and test-retest reliability. Finally, the EF-SR showed positive moder…

Poor School Academic Performance and Benign Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes

Background: Poor academic performance of students with epilepsy seems to be a multifactorial problem related to difficulties in reading, writing, math, and logic skills. Poor school and academic performances refer to learning problems in a specific academic area due to learning disorders and learning difficulties not excluding the ability to learn in a different manner during school and academic life. Sometimes, school, academic difficulties, and Rolandic epilepsy can coexist together, and there may be comorbidities. Consequently, the risk of impaired academic performance in people with epilepsy is high. Methods: This review analyzed the relationship between Benign Epilepsy with Centro-Temp…

PMS (Profilo Motivazionale Scolastico)

Lessico di stati interni e rappresentazione dell’intelligenza in soggetti con ritardo mentale