Sleep habits in children affected by autism spectrum disorders: A preliminary case-control study

Introduction: The core of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) consists of alterations of neurological functions that affect the typical developmental trajectory leading to deficits in social interaction and non-verbal behaviors. In general, ASD is diagnosed at age three and many other frequent neurological signs may be present, such as sleep disorders. The aim of study is evaluating sleep habits in a sample of ASD children. Material and methods: The study population consists of 65 ASD children (43 males and 22 females), aged between 2 and 11 years (mean 5.73 ± 2.39 years). The control group consists of 114 children with typical development (68 males and 46 females), aged between 3 and 10 years …

Executive functions rehabilitation proposal: A tailored intervention

Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive processes that allow the development of intentional behaviors e requiring the ability to formulate goals and objectives, capacity for initiative, to anticipate the consequences of actions, to organize behavior and monitor it and adapt it based on the context. Patients with EFs deficiencies exhibit specific disorders of planning, regulation and correction intentional conduct and cognitive activity, while they have no problem in the execution of usual action sequences.

Errori accentuali in relazione alla composizione sillabica e alla frequenza d’uso: dislessici evolutivi e normolettori a confronto

Velocità e correttezza nell’attribuzione del genere grammaticale: il ruolo della trasparenza morfologica della vocale finale di parola.

L’influenza della struttura sillabico-accentuale sul processo di decodifica.

VISUOMOTOR INTEGRATION SKILLS IN CHILDREN AFFECTED BY OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA SYNDROME: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Introduction: Sleep related breathing disorders (SRBD) consist of frequent and repetitive episodes of pharyngeal obstruction during sleep, with consequent intermittent hypoxia, sleep architecture fragmentation, daytime sleepiness and/or behavioural problems and executive impairment in children. When untreated, SRBD and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) mainly, may impact school performance, cognition, metabolism, and cardiovascular function. Aim of the present study is assessing the visuomotor integration skills in children affected by OSA. Materials and methods: 57 subjects affected by mild-to severe OSA, PSG diagnosed according to international diagnostic criteria, (31 males and 26 f…

Adhd-like symptoms in children affected by obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: A case-control study

Introduction: ADHD is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, or a combination of these symptoms. Sleep disorders may be considered as a not secondary underlying cause of ADHD and growing evidence evidenced that obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) symptoms may overlap ADHD's ones. Aim of the present study is verifying the presence of ADHD-like symptoms in other frequent condition such as sleep-related breathing disorders in pediatric age. Materials and methods: 34 children (19 males and 15 females) aged 6-10 years (mean age 9.706 ± 3.434) with polysomnographic diagnosis of OSA, according to ICSD-3 criteria, were recruited. Control group was composed by 89 typical develo…

Anxiety disorders in developmental age

Anxiety disorders represent the more common psychiatric disorder in developmental age and it is estimated that a third of adolescents satisfy the criteria for an anxiety disorder at the age of 18. Many researches show that the disorders of anxiety in childhood are associated with anxiety disorders in adulthood, depressive disorders and use of psychoactive substances. Suffering from anxiety disorders, such as specific phobia, agoraphobia, social anxiety or panic disorder, represents a strong predictor for the development of other psychiatric disorders consequential. In the literature the debate on the weight of environmental factors and genetic factors in determining the development of anxie…

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…

The cerebral localization of executive functions

Executive Functions (EFs) are a complex neuropsychological tool that can lead all action of daily-life indipendently from age. The attempt to associate specific regions of the central nervous system (CNS) with specific sensory functions, motor and cognitive skills is one of the most recurring themes in the history of neuroscience. The concept of cerebral localization of mental activities started from the formulations of beginning phrenologists in Nineteenth century, passing through the holistic conceptions and antilocalization that marked some periods of the Twentieth century, until the beginning of the new millennium, characterized by the enormous popularity of the techniques of functional…

Predictors of risk of learning disabilities

Involves all the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are presumed to be precursors of the development of conventional forms of reading and writing (Whitehurst and Lonigan, 1998). It been traced a continuity of development between the first emergent literacy skills, starting from kindergarten, and early reading skills (Phillips BM et al). Children who have difficulty in the early stages of learning to read is very likely continue to present both in later school years further failures in this area (Cornoldi,Tressoldi, 2007) triggered a negative spiral and problematic process (Tressoldi e Vio, 1996). There are numerous empirical confirmation of the importance of early identification of diffic…

L’influenza della struttura sillabico accentuale sul processo di decodifica

L’accento delle parole italiane può essere collocato sulla penultima sillaba (volare) o sulla terzultima sillaba (tenero). In entrambi i casi l’assegnazione dell’accento non è predicibile da regole specifiche, ma necessita di informazioni lessicali. Le parole italiane con l’accento sulla penultima sillaba sono definite regolari, perché la proporzione di queste ultime è maggiore rispetto a quelle con accento sulla terzultima sillaba, definite irregolari (Burani, Arduino, 2004). In questo studio, oltre alla tipologia accentuale, assume particolare importanza la composizione sillabica delle parole. In particolare, ci proponiamo di valutare l’influenza (in termini di corretto posizionamento del…

Sympathetic, metabolic adaptations, and oxidative stress in autism spectrum disorders: How far from physiology?

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a complex and multifaceted neurobehavioral syndrome with no specific cause still identified, despite the worldwide increasing (prevalence for 1,000 children from 6.7 to 14.6, between 2000 and 2012). Many biological and instrumental markers have been suggested as potential predictive factors for the precocious diagnosis during infancy and/or pediatric age. Many studies reported structural and functional abnormalities in the autonomic system in subjects with ASD. Sleep problems in ASD are a prominent feature, having an impact on the social interaction of the patient. Considering the role of orexins (A and B) in wake-sleep circadian rhythm, we could speculate…

The complex cognitive system of executive functioning: A conceptual review

Every day we are faced with a variety of situations that require the use of cognitive processes different, such as recognizing and memorizing stimuli, understanding and producing statements, solving problems. In recent decades, cognitive psychology and neuropsychology have made considerable advances in description of these processes and how they can be disrupted as a result of an injury to the nervous system central. However, it is clear that our adaptation to the environment is not limited to perceiving, reading, and speaking. A fundamental aspect of mental life is represented by the need to continuously modulate the use of these cognitive resources to contingent needs according to our goa…

An Analysis of a Single Case of Comorbidity between Learning Disability and Borderline Intellectual Functioning

Abstract In this study we explored a case of comorbidity between DSA and Borderline Intellectual Functioning. The girl was fourteen years old, ninth grade of school in Palermo, with significant learning difficulties. Two interviews were conducted, one with parents and one with teachers, to investigate the history of the girl's learning. In the pre-test phase the following cognitive areas were investigated: Q.I. (Level of Intelligence), decoding ability, reading comprehension and writing skills. Motivational-emotional profile was also evaluated: school motivation, self-handicapping strategies, self esteem and school anxiety. To assess these cognitive areas we used: Reading Comprehension Test…

Down Syndrome and Referential Communication: Understanding and Production

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the ability of referential communication in subjects with Down Syndrome (DS). We evaluated the possibility that the referential communication is the result of a set of cognitive factors, verbal and nonverbal through the evaluation of relationship between cognitive abilities in individuals with DS and typically developing. In particular, we have identified some critical dimensions of communicative function, such as the referential communication, which means the subject's ability to produce o the listener or messages “referentially oriented”, ie messages that are characterized by “clarity or ambiguity referential”. The referential communication skills, in…

La sensibilità agli indizi semantici e alla struttura morfologica della parola: un confronto tra dislessici evolutivi e normolettori

AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION (AAC) IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS: A MINIREVIEW

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), cerebral palsy or severe motor speech disorders may beneficiate of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems that may improve the developing language and the communication abilities. The term AAC tend to include each form of communication supplementing or replacing the natural speech production.

A minireview about preterm birth and main specific neurodevelopmental disorders

The preterm birth interrupts the physiological processes that allow the development of the Nervous System and of the body apparatus. Preterm children present a multi-organ dysfunction inversely proportional to the gestational age, leading to respiratory, cardiovascular, haematological, metabolic, infectious, and neurological problems.

ANGER IN CHILDREN: A MINIREVIEW

Aggressive behavior is a peculiar characteristic of most animal species playing an important role in species preservation and two types have been identified: interspecific and intraspecific aggression. The interspecific refers purely to the instinct of predation, while the intraspecific is the purpose for species preservation. Anger has been found in very young children between the ages of four and seven, is manifested through vocalizations, expressions and global movements affecting the entire body of the child: it is a means of communication privileged to express themselves and communicate. Anger must be considered a positive event, even if it may frighten it has a positive effect: transf…

MOTION SICKNESS IN CHILDHOOD MIGRAINE

Background: Migraine is a chronic, progressive, and debilitating disorder that has an impact on the lives of millions of individuals. The origins of the disability can be traced into childhood and adolescence for most adult migraine sufferers. The group of periodic syndromes consists in symptoms related to migraine, thought to be migraine equivalent or precursors. Aim of this study is to assess the role of MS as risk factors for childhood migraine. Materials and methods: 441 subjects (211 Females) aged 6-13 years (mean 9.20; SD 2.42), consecutively referred between October 2007 to March 2009 for primary headaches to pediatric Centers for Headache in Childhood. Control group consisted of 365…

La sensibilità agli indizi semantici e alla struttura morfologica della parola: un confronto tra dislessici evolutivi e normolettori

Neurosciences and attachment theory: A brief review

The attachment theory was proposed and elaborated by John Bowlby. Over the last ten years the attachment theory has attracted considerable interest in the field of mental health as it emphasizes how relationships that are established in the earliest stages of development have an impact on man in an indefinable and lifelong manner.

Il ruolo dell'informazione contestuale e delle componenti sillabico-accentuali nella decodifica del testo scritto: un confronto tra dislessici evolutivi e normolettori

L'esperimento qui presentato si propone di valutare l'importanza che assume, per un dislessico evolutivo rispetto ad un normolettore, la presenza di indizi che suggeriscano il significato del testo scritto (informazioni contestuali), nonché l'influenza di determinate caratteristiche sillabico-accentuali nelle prestazioni di lettura. Lo studio è stato condotto attraverso la somministrazione di frasi in ognuna delle quali è stata inserita una parola target secondo criteri relativi alla posizione (dislocazione a sinistra e dislocazione a destra) al fine di valutare l'influenza esercitata dall'informazione contestuale durante la decifrazione del testo. Le parole selezionate sono state accuratam…

Technology, educational challenges: Serious game and rehabilitation

During child neurodevelopment, parenting plays the key role for accompanying children trough the evolutionary path, taking into account the various risks and dangers that may occur. Actually, certain delays or developmental disturbances may be considered as the consequence of incorrect parenting behavior. In this perspective the use of electronic devices may be observed seriously.

The main sequelae of preterm birth: Focus on neurodevelopmental disorders

Preterm birth is a traumatic event that interrupts the physiological processes that allow the development of the Nervous System and the body systems, resulting in a multi-organ dysfunction, of an entity in inverse proportion to the gestational age, which causes respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic, infectious endocrine problems. and neurological. In particular, at a neurological level, in the most serious cases, for macroscopic lesions of the Central Nervous System, there is the risk of incurring in evolutionary Disabilities (Infantile Cerebral Palsy etc.); but in the absence of severe damage, since the birth occurs at a critical moment of the cerebral development in which the cortex is b…

THE DYNAMIC MATURATIVE MODEL FOR ATTACHMENT

The Dynamic-Maturation Model (DMM) was developed by Patricia Crittenden (1-4), which focused its studies on attachment to different ethnic, socio-cultural and dangers as families in which episodes of Maltreatment and abuse or families with high psychosocial risk. Crittenden proposes new protocols of the Strange Situation (SS) and the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) based on a coding and classification system derived from the model proposed by Ainsworth, but modified and enriched with that of Main, Goldwyn and Hesse. The SS procedure, adopted for children aged between 10 and 18 months, is valid until all preschool age, assuming This way the name of the Preschool Assessment of Attachment (PA…

Maternal stress and coping strategies in developmental Dyslexia: An Italian multicenter study

BackgroundStudies about the impact of developmental dyslexia (DD) on parenting are scarce. Our investigation aimed to assess maternal stress levels and mothers’ copying styles in a population of dyslexic children.MethodsA total of 874 children (500 boys, 374 girls; mean age 8.32 ± 2.33 years) affected by DD was included in the study. A total of 1,421 typically developing children (789 boys, 632 girls; mean age 8.25 ± 3.19 years) were recruited from local schools of participating Italian Regions (Abruzzo, Calabria, Campania, Puglia, Umbria, Sicily) and used as control-children group. All mothers (of both DD and typically developing children) filled out an evaluation for parental stress (Pare…

Internalizing symptoms in children affected by childhood absence epilepsy: A preliminary study

Introduction: Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is a common type of pediatric idiopathic generalized epilepsy, characterized by multiple seizures of typical absence, with typical EEG pattern consisting in bilateral synchronous and symmetrical discharges of generalized 3 Hz spike-wave (SWDs). Recently, some researchers have suggested that the underlying epileptogenic mechanism of absence seizures selectively involves the frontal cortical circuits, also supported by video-electroencephalography data(3). These data may be considered as a new window in CAE comprehension and management, particularly about symptoms different from seizure that children affected may present. In this light, aim of th…

Life events and primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis: A pediatric pilot study

Introduction: The association between primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE) and behavioral disorders was highlighted frequently, suggesting psychiatric origin. On the other hand, there is no difference between the incidence of mental disorders in children with PMNE and controls, although the psychological genesis could provide additional secondary forms, in which the child might react to stressful events with the resumption of involuntary urination at night, with a possible alteration of bowel control due to a high vulnerability to stressors. The purpose of this study is assessing the stressful events of life in a sample of children with PMNE. Materials and methods: 56 subjects …

L'utilizzo degli indizi contestuali come strategia di lettura del dislessico evolutivo

Metacognitive and cognitive factors underlying the understanding of the text

Reading comprehension, the construction of meaning from text is generally considered one of the most central cognitive skills children acquire during their school career. (Carreiras & Clifton, 2004; Mason, 2004; Ritchey, 2011; van den Broek, 2010). The research reported was designed to investigate the critical role played by certain factors implicated in the mental representation of text and to establish how their role varies as a function of developmental age. It would thus seem that inferential processing is powerfully influenced both by metacognitive and structural factors which can play a role during text comprehension. This research has focused in particular on two specific aspects of …

REFERENTIAL COMUNICATION SKILL IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate the Referential Communication skill in children with Down Syndrome (DS). In particular in this research, we have studied the development of pragmatic language in relation to non-verbal skills. It’s analyzed the Referential Communication skills in children with DS, both in production and comprehension of referential messages: oriented and / or ambiguous , adequate (appropriate) and inadequate (inappropriate) METHODS: The participants in this research are a total of 24 children: 12 children with DS and 12 children with typical development (TD) (control group). The mean age children with DS is 7 years and 8 months and the mean age children wi…

The angelman syndrome: A brief review

Angelman's Syndrome (AS) was described for the first time by Harry Angelman in the 1960s, based on obervation of three child patients with similar physical and behavioral features such as severe intellectual impairment, lack of language, motor disorders and happy behaviour. Many years later the typical patients' features were identified as linked to genetic abnormalities mainly characterized by neurological symptoms. Life expectancy is good although the symptoms tend to be stable and severe.

I percorsi evolutivi: implicazioni evolutive

The rorschach test evaluation in chronic childhood migraine: A preliminary multicenter case-control study

Object Migraine headache prevalence ranges from 1.2 to 3.2% at 7 years of age, increasing with age up to 4-19% in adolescents.1 The aim of the present study is investigating the personality style associated with children and adolescent affected by Migraine without aura (MwA), through administration of the projective Rorschach test and statistical comparison with a group of age- and sex matched healthy controls. Methods 137 patients (74 males and 63 females), aged 7.3–17.4 years (mean age 11.4, SD 3.02 years), affected by MwA according to the IHs-3 criteria. The projective Rorschach test has been administrered to all the cases and controls. Statistical comparisons of groups were performed th…

La comunicazione referenziale nella prospettiva evolutiva

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFERENTIAL PROCESSING AND TEXT PROCESSING: A DEVELOPMENTAL STUDY

The research reported here was designed to investigate the critical role played by certain factors implicated in the mental representation of text, and to establish whether their role varies significantly as a function of developmental age. Specifically, it was decided to analyse, in a sample of 180 subjects was selected from three different age groups (7, 10 and 18 years of age respectively), the role of such factors in mediating and influencing the generation of the inferences needed to understand a piece of text characterised by a sequence of information which flows in a logical order, but leads to a conclusion which is contrary to the expectations evoked by the text. In line with this o…

Neuropsychological Alterations in Children Affected by Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Sleep-related breathing disorders are a group of clinical conditions ranging from habitual snoring to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) during the lifespan. In children, other risk factors are represented by adenotonsillar hypertrophy, rhinitis, nasal structure alteration, cleft palate, velopharyngeal flap surgery, pharyngeal masses, craniofacial malformations, genetic syndrome (i.e. Down syndrome, Crouzon syndrome, and Apert syndrome), genetic hypoplasia mandibular (i.e. Pierre Robin syndrome, Treacher Collins syndrome, Shy-Drager syndrome, and Cornelia De Lange syndrome), craniofacial traumas, chronic or seasonal rhinitis, asthma, neuromuscular syndromes, brainstem pathologies (i.e.…

La dislessia nello svantaggio socio-culturale: il ruolo dell’ambiente come amplificatore del problema

Linguistic Prosody and Comprehension of Idioms and Proverbs in Subjects of School Age

Abstract A crucial component of language is represented by the prosodic system because it provides essential elements to speaker about how a sentence should be interpreted or intended (Fodor, 2002). Increasing interest from researchers also relates to the understanding of figurative language (Levorato, & Cacciari, 2002). In the figures of speech that the speaker wants the listener intends something more or different than what is explicitly stated (Glucksberg, 2001). In particular, prosodic intonation is crucial in the resolution of syntactic ambiguity and structural features that constitute the complex messages, such as idioms and proverbs. A crucial component of language, therefore, is rep…

Rappresentazione delle abilità in individui con ritardo mentale

Sviluppo e individualità: complessità di una relazione

Il testo affronta le questioni critiche della psicologia dello sviluppo con particolare attenzione ai fattori sottesi alla variabilità inter e intra-individuale.

Il ruolo della struttura semantica e della composizione morfologica nell'accuratezza di decodifica:dislessici evolutivi e normolettori a confronto.

Nello specifico, il nostro lavoro di ricerca si propone di valutare l’influenza degli indizi contestuali sull’accuratezza di decodifica (corretto posizionamento dell’accento) del dislessico evolutivo e del normolettore confrontando due principali condizioni: assenza e presenza di disponibilità contestuale. In aggiunta, nell’ottica di effettuare una specifica indagine linguistica, l’intento è anche quello di analizzare l’influenza della composizione sillabico-accentuale, sull’accuratezza di decodifica (corretto posizionamento dell’accento) dei due gruppi di soggetti (Mulatti e Job, 2003; Marcolini e Burani, 2003; Burani, Barca e Ellis, 2006; Marcolini, Donato, Stella e Burani, 2006; Barca, E…

FARE INFERENZE Storie e attività per potenziare la comprensione del testo

Attualmente, la tematica relativa ai processi inferenziali costituisce un ampio e interessante filone di ricerca in cui convergono i contributi della scienza cognitiva e della linguistica testuale. Poiché difficoltà nell’attivazione di processi inferenziali sottesi alla comprensione del testo possono connotarsi quali significativi predittori di varie problematiche nell’ambito dell’apprendimento scolastico, diviene sempre più urgente l’individuazione di tutti i fattori capaci di inibire o favorire l’attivazione di inferenze, siano esse lessicali, quando riguardano il significato di una parola sconosciuta ma deducibile dal contesto, oppure semantiche se, invece, riguardano il significato di i…

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

Comprensione prosodica e comprensione di modi di dire e proverbi in bambini di età pre-scolare: il ruolo del contesto socio culturale

L’acquisizione degli aspetti pragmatici del linguaggio comporta un processo costruttivo, di comprensione di codici non linguistici, che il bambino apprende attraverso l’interazione con il contesto socio culturale. Ne sono un esempio la comprensione prosodia e di modi dire e proverbi. La ricerca ha indagato la relazione tra comprensione prosodica e di modi di dire e proverbi, su due gruppi di bambini di 4 e 5 anni appartenenti a contesti socio-culturali diversi. Alla ricerca hanno partecipato 290 soggetti divisi in due gruppi di età: 150 bambini di 4 anni e 140 di 5 anni, equamente distribuiti per livello socio culturale. In concordanza alle nostre ipotesi, la correlazione tra le due compone…

Mealtime behaviour disorders in Cornelia de Lange syndrome

Rationale and objectives: Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a multisystem congenital syndrome at variable expressivity. Children with CdLS can exhibit a range of “autistic-like” behaviours. Only a few studies have investigated the presence of eating "autistic-like" behaviors in individuals with CdLS. The aim of this study is investigating eating disorders and food selectivity among children affected by CdLS compared to autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and typical developing (TD) children. Materials and methods: 16 children affected by CDLs (10 M, mean age 5.12±1.98 years) were compared to 35 ASD children (20 M, mean age 4.94±1.72 years) and 77 TD children (41 M, mean age 4.78±2.06 years)…

The transcranial stimulation with direct currents (tdcs): An historical and conceptual minireview

Transcranial Stimulation with Direct Currents (tDCS) is a method for non invasive brain stimulation created to induce functional changes in cerebral cortex. tDCS consists of application on the scalp of electrodes providing a low intensity direct current influencing neuronal functions. tDCS is not the only neurostimulation method for neuroscience clinical practice and research and can be used for treat many different clinical conditions such as migraine prevention, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), cerebral palsy rehabilitation, post-traumatic brain injury neuropsychological disorders.

Ketogenic diet as antiepileptic therapy: Neurotrasmission effects

The Ketogenic diet (KD) presents many effects on neurostrasmitters pathways. KD may act on potassium channels sensitive to ATP (KATP), inhibiting rapamycin pathway in mammalians or glutamatergic synaptic transmission or mediated by peptide hormones.

The analysis of the construct of literacy emerging in the construction of a “risk profile”

Learning the written language, is characterized by an evolutionary continuity that develops from an early acquisition phase, traditionally defined as "emergent literacy" (Pinto, 1993; Whitehurst and Loningan, 1998; Pepi, 2004). Learning the written language has its origins in the earliest stages of a child's life, before the start of formal literacy and involves all those skills (cognitive, metacognitive, language, short-memory term, etc.), knowledges and attitudes presumed to be precursors of the development of conventional reading and writing forms (Lonigan, et al, 2000). The current research shows the continuity of development between the first emergent literacy skills, starting from kin…

THE PSYCHOTERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS AND STRATEGIES FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH BEHAVIOURAL DISORDERS: THE INCREDIBLE YEARS TREATMENT PROGRAM

The psychotherapeutic interventions disposable and considered the key role in behavioral therapy are the Incredible Years, the evidence-based parenting support

Comprensione prosodica e comprensione di modi di dire e proverbi: uno studio in soggetti di età scolare in situazioni di svantaggio socio-culturale

Le abilità di comprensione metalinguistica riguardano i processi cognitivi che consentono di riflettere sulla lingua e di manipolarne le caratteristiche. Tali capacità, indispensabili per riconoscere e risolvere le ambiguità di un messaggio complesso, permettono di controllare e pianificare il modo di produrre e comprendere il linguaggio. L'analisi dei processi implicati nel riconoscimento e risoluzione di ambiguità in un messaggio complesso, pone l'accento sulle abilità di controllare e pianificare la produzione e comprensione del linguaggio verbale, ma soprattutto sull’importanza della componente prosodica nella decodifica dell’informazione. Tale relazione è significativa ed è soggetta a …

DOWN SYNDROME AND REFERENTIAL COMMUNICATION:  UNDERSTANDING AND PRODUCTION

Children with Down Syndrome (DS) have a delay that affects the global motor development, cognitive, communicative and linguistic. From the literature shows that these subjects follow the same general line of language acquisition of children with typical development, although their language remains behind their non-verbal cognitive abilities and then proceed with a slower. In our study we have set ourselves the objective to investigate some critical dimensions of the communicative function in particular, referential communication, which means the subject's ability to produce messages "referentially oriented”, or messages that allow the listener to recognize the immediacy of contact with the …

Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Parasomnias and Migraine: A Role of Orexinergic Projections

Introduction: Sleep and migraine share a common pathophysiological substrate, although the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The serotonergic and orexinergic systems are both involved in the regulation of sleep/wake cycle, and numerous studies show that both are involved in the migraine etiopathogenesis. These two systems are anatomically and functionally interconnected. Our hypothesis is that in migraine a dysfunction of orexinergic projections on the median raphe (MR) nuclei, interfering with serotonergic regulation, may cause Non-Rapid Eye Movement parasomnias, such as somnambulism. Hypothesis/theory: Acting on the serotonergic neurons of the raphe nuclei, the dysfunction of orexinergic…

Il ruolo della trasparenza morfologica nell’attribuzione del genere grammaticale

Psicologi a scuola

Il lavoro è stato diretto su due versanti: monitoraggio attraverso uno screening nell’area linguistica e matematica di una classe I, al fine di predisporre un piano di intervento mirato ad indirizzare i docenti verso quelle che sono le potenzialità degli alunni con difficoltà; presa in carico di due casi singoli che la scuola riteneva particolarmente “problematici” al fine di effettuare una valutazione funzionale per mettere in luce i punti di forza e di debolezza su cui poter far operare i docenti a livello didattico. Entrambi i lavori hanno seguito un percorso di approfondimento dei possibili disturbi di apprendimento, anche se è necessario sottolineare che in un contesto dominato dallo s…

Reading decoding disabilities: the role of socio-cultural level

Indizi semantici e ambiguità ortografica: la sensibilità al contesto linguistico nel dislessico evolutivo

Comprensione del linguaggio figurato in bambini con Sindrome di Down

L’acquisizione degli aspetti pragmatici del linguaggio, nello sviluppo tipico, comporta un processo costruttivo, di comprensione di codici non linguistici, che il bambino apprende attraverso l’interazione con il contesto socio culturale. I bambini con Sindrome di Down (SD) presentano un ritardo globale che interessa lo sviluppo motorio, cognitivo, comunicativo e linguistico. La non corretta espressione dei geni nel cromosoma 21 determina una serie di alterazioni nello sviluppo neurofisiologico, somatico, motorio, cognitivo e linguistico che possono variare anche considerevolmente da individuo ad individuo. Dalla letteratura si evince che tali soggetti seguano la stessa linea generale di acq…

Velocità e correttezza nell'attribuzione del genere grammaticale: il ruolo della trasparenza morfologica della vocale finale della parola.

Learning Disabilities and motivational profiles

Learning disabilities

Visual–spatial training efficacy in children affected by migraine without aura: a multicenter study

Francesco Precenzano,1,* Maria Ruberto,2,* Lucia Parisi,3 Margherita Salerno,4 Agata Maltese,3 Beatrice Gallai,5 Rosa Marotta,6 Serena Marianna Lavano,7 Francesco Lavano,6 Michele Roccella3 1Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Headache Center for Children and Adolescent. Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 2Department of Medical-Surgical and Dental Specialties, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, 3Department of Psychological, Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, 4Sciences for Mother and Child Health Promotion, University of Palermo, Palermo, 5D…

PROGRAMMA DI LETTURA CONDIVISA E POTENZIAMENTO DEL LINGUAGGIO ORALE IN ETA' PRESCOLARE

Comprensione prosodica e comprensione di modi di dire e proverbi in soggetti in età scolare

Una componente cruciale del linguaggio è rappresentata dal sistema prosodico poiché fornisce elementi essenziali al parlante su come un enunciato debba essere interpretato o inteso (Aglioti, 2009; Davidson, 2003). Crescente interesse da parte dei ricercatori riguarda, inoltre, la comprensione del linguaggio figurato (Benelli e Bellacchi, 2007). Nelle espressioni figurate il parlante vuole che l’ascoltatore intenda un qualcosa di più o di diverso rispetto a ciò che viene affermato esplicitamente. Ne sono un esempio le espressioni metaforiche (es. Anna è una perla), quelle ironiche e le espressioni idiomatiche (ad es. tagliare la corda). Le abilità di comprensione metalinguistica riguardano i…

IMPARARE A LEGGERE, COMPRENDERE E A FAR DI CONTO... LA MEMORIA NELL'APPRENDIMENTO

Ketogenic diet as antiepileptic therapy: Historical perspective

Ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-lipid diet, adequate for protein content but low in carbohydrates content. Caloric intake is calculated on the basis of the ideal patient's needs, reduced by about 20%, and is about 90% of lipids present in 3: 1 or 4: 1 ratio with proteins and carbohydrates. KD is considered the most ancient antiepileptic therapy, actually proposed also for migraine therapy.

Fattori sottesi alla comunicazione referenziale

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…

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…

Paternal shift-working and sleep disorders in children affected by primary nocturnal enuresis

Objectives: Primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE) is a common problem in childhood and studies about the sleep habits of affected children are not conclusive. Work-family conflict (WFC) results from the incompatibility between family demands and business/workplace needs. WFC can impact parental quality with many consequences on children health. Aim of study is assessing the prevalence of sleep disturbances in enuretic children, sons of work-shifters. Materials and methods: 80 children (67 males) aged 5-13 years (mean 10,43; SD ± 1,99), were consecutively referred for PMNE. Sleep habits were investigated with Sleep Disturbances Scale for Children (SDSC) and the results were compa…

Digital natives: Lucky or jellied?

The technology now seems to have involved not only the world of adults, but also and especially that of children, becoming a form of communication and rapid interaction and widespread dissemination. Some parents start to worry about a possible technolog- ical dependency, given the hours spent by the youngest, called digital children, in front of computer, smartphones and tablets. A decade ago, the sociologist Mark Prensky spoke of digital natives, that is the first generation of children grew up with consoles, videogames and computers while today we are witnessing an evolution of this concept in the third generation of digital, appeared approximately with the arrival of iPad and tablet and …

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