PSICOLOGIA DELLO SVILUPPO E DELL'EDUCAZIONE

Module APPLIED MEDICAL TECHNICAL SCIENCES

(ACCORDING TO THE 5 DUBLIN DESCRIPTORS)

1. Knowledge and understanding – The student should demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• the mechanisms and manifestations of altered development and swallowing function in childhood;
• the main disorders of higher cortical functions;
• the main learning disorders affecting reading, writing, and arithmetic skills;
• quantitative and qualitative voice disorders in childhood and adolescence.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding – The student should be able to:

• apply theoretical knowledge to the understanding of the main pathological conditions affecting communicative, cognitive, and motor development;
• interpret developmental disorders as a basis for clinical reasoning in speech and language therapy;
• recognize the main signs and key features of disorders affecting swallowing, voice, executive functions, and learning;
• apply acquired knowledge to the analysis of simple clinical cases, identifying the elements relevant to speech and language therapy assessment.

3. Making judgements – The student should demonstrate the ability to:

• distinguish between typical and pathological development in the main areas covered by the course;
• integrate knowledge from different disciplines, including otorhinolaryngology, developmental psychology, child neuropsychiatry, and neurology;
• develop an initial critical approach to the observation and interpretation of developmental disorders;
• identify clinically relevant elements to guide further diagnostic and speech and language therapy assessment, while recognizing the limits of their own competence.

4. Communication skills – The student should be able to:

• use appropriate technical and scientific terminology in the field of speech and language therapy;
• present the course contents clearly, accurately, and coherently;
• effectively communicate complex concepts related to developmental and learning disorders;
• interact appropriately with the different professionals involved in the multidisciplinary assessment and management of children with developmental disorders.

5. Learning skills – The student should demonstrate the ability to:

• independently learn and critically process the contents covered during the course;
• develop critical study skills useful for continuing their educational and professional training;
• update their knowledge through reference texts and the teaching materials provided;
• integrate the knowledge acquired in this module with that gained from other disciplines in the curriculum, progressively developing independent learning skills.

Frontal interactive lessons, supported by slides, videos, and tutorials.

Any seminar.

Swallowing disorders in childhood: neurogenic, neuromuscular, and muscular dysphagia.

Development and disorder of executive functions and complex motor skills: dyspraxias.

Assessment of the main cerebral cortical disorders: aphasia, agnosia, apraxia.

Impairment of reading, writing, and numerical learning abilities, mainly within the spectrum of specific learning disorders.

Childhood dysphonia.

L. Sabbadini. Disturbi specifici del linguaggio, disprassie e funzioni esecutive. Springer-Verlag Italia Editor (latest edition) (reference book).

C. Vio, P. E. Tressoldi, G. Lo Presti. Diagnosi dei disturbi specifici dell'apprendimento scolastico. Erickson Editor (latest edition) (reference book). 

Oral exam. Elements to be evaluated: relevance of the answers, quality of their contents, ability to connect with other topics within the program, ability to report examples, quality of technical language, and overall expressive ability.

To guarantee equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, students can request a meeting in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measure, according to the educational goals and specific needs. In this case, it is advisable to contact the CInAP (Centre for Active and Participated Integration - Services for Disabilities and/or SLD) professor of the Department where the Degree Course is included.

What are the main causes of childhood neurogenic dysphagia?

What is the speech therapy approach to a specific learning disability?

What is the difference, also in terms of evaluation and speech therapy approach, between apraxia and dyspraxia?