Thesis

In recent years, thanks also to the drafting of the new Guidelines (2022) on the management of DSA, awareness of the issue and attention to the early identification of learning difficulties, which can be anticipated by weaknesses in the prerequisites for learning that can be found in preschool age, have increased. In fact, it is recommended that screenings be carried out during the final year of nursery school aimed at identifying any potential weaknesses.

This paper aims to explore the role of learning prerequisites and the effectiveness of early developmental interventions in preschool children, with particular attention to the neuropsychomotor approach.

This thesis analyzes the neuropsychological and linguistic precursors underlying written text comprehension in a sample of eight school-age subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the absence of intellectual disability.

Scientific literature often highlights a marked dissociation between decoding and comprehension skills in these students: despite adequate deciphering skills, significant obstacles emerge in constructing the overall meaning of the text.

Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs) are persistent conditions that affect individuals throughout their lifespan. Historically focused on schools, Italian legislation recently extended its protection to the workplace with Laws 113/2021 and 25/2022. This paper investigates whether timely diagnostic recognition influences adults' professional success and psychological well-being.

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of dynamic assessment of phonological programming skills in primary school children with Primary Language Impairment (PLI), using the Parla-Dino instrument. In speech therapy, assessing phonological skills plays a central role in defining a language profile and planning rehabilitation interventions.

This thesis analyzes Developmental Dyscalculia not only as an instrumental deficit, but as a barrier that affects students' psychological well-being and sense of self-efficacy. Through a paradigm shift from mere correction to empowerment, the study aims to transform "learning fatigue" into an opportunity for metacognitive growth.

The core of the research is the design and testing of the LOGOS-MATH protocol, implemented at the Si.DA Multifunctional Center in Palermo.

This thesis seeks to explore the contribution of narrative medicine to understanding and supporting children with learning disabilities. The work stems from the idea that diagnostic and psychometric dimensions alone, while necessary, are insufficient to capture the complexity of the individual, who must instead be interpreted through experiences, emotions, relationships, resources, and life contexts.

Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) are a growing phenomenon, and this has led to important developments in scientific research in the educational and clinical fields. This thesis analyzes SLD in the school context, highlighting the crucial role of teachers in promoting students' academic success and emotional well-being.

This thesis analyzes academic well-being in students with specific learning disabilities, considering emotional, motivational, and relational aspects.
Students with learning disabilities exhibit low self-esteem and a poor sense of self-efficacy, as well as high levels of anxiety, depression, and anger, which negatively impact their academic performance. Very often, those with learning disabilities are excluded from their classmates, leading to a decline in friendships and increased feelings of loneliness.

This dissertation explores the topic of educational prevention and early identification of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), with particular reference to the 3-6 age group and the central role played by preschool. SLD, of neurobiological origin, significantly impact a child's academic progress, hindering the acquisition of basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. Although formal diagnosis is only possible starting in primary school, the scientific literature and the current regulatory framework, particularly Law 170/2010, emphasize the importance of early and systematic monitoring for risk indicators.

The thesis explores intellectual disability with reference to a clinical case. Intellectual disability is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects various adaptive functions, making independence and social interaction difficult. It is characterized by an intelligence quotient (IQ) typically less than or equal to 70, impaired adaptive and cognitive functioning, and the onset of these difficulties before age 18. Furthermore, it manifests itself with varying degrees of severity—mild, moderate, severe, and extreme—requiring differentiated support.

This thesis arises from the recommendations, particularly regarding the treatment of dyslexia and dysorthographia, emerging from the recent Guideline on Specific Learning Disorders (ISS, 2022) and from the growing use of technologies in educational and rehabilitation contexts.

This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of technology-mediated treatment for dyslexia and dysorthographia. After an in-depth look at traditional treatments for dyslexia and dysorthographia, the focus shifts to the LENUOR Method, created by Dr. Alessandra Luci.

This dissertation addresses the topic of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), focusing not only on the learning difficulties they entail but also on the emotional and identity-related repercussions for students. Dyslexia, dysorthography, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia can compromise the acquisition of fundamental academic skills, generating feelings of frustration, demotivation, and low self-esteem, especially when there are no adults capable of recognizing and supporting these difficulties.

The goal is to create a truly inclusive environment, capable of valuing diversity and promoting an educational culture that looks beyond challenges, accompanying and supporting each student on their journey.

This thesis aims to analyze writing as a multicomponent system, focusing on the process of written language acquisition and the main weaknesses and disorders associated with it, with particular attention to dysorthographia, dysgraphia, and difficulties in producing written text.

The aim is to provide a theoretical, clinical, and regulatory framework for writing disorders and difficulties, useful in the educational field for promoting inclusive teaching and appropriate re-educational interventions.

The literature is increasingly emphasizing the relationship between Executive Functions (EF) and learning processes. Learning academic skills (reading, writing, and arithmetic) requires, especially in the early stages of acquisition, the intervention of EF, which, according to Diamond's model, involves updating, inhibition, flexibility, and more demanding skills. The literature shows that children with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) often also exhibit EF deficits.

The aim of this work was to conduct a literature search to analyze the different types of EF training in DSA, critically discussing their effectiveness.

In recent years, the attention paid to neurodevelopmental disorders has changed significantly.

The main objective of this thesis is to analyze a clinical case whose picture is complex due to the co-occurrence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Specific Learning Disorder (SLD).

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with multifactorial etiology, characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. These symptoms tend to appear during childhood and can persist into adulthood. A growing body of evidence suggests a close relationship between ADHD and impairments in executive functions (EF), a set of cognitive processes that include inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility, problem solving, and planning.

The aim of this research is to provide the reader with an overview of some of the types of interventions currently attracting the interest of the scientific community, placing particular attention on studies that have highlighted significant improvements in certain executive functions.

Language is one of the fundamental skills for a child's cognitive, social, and academic development. In the early years of life, the ability to understand and express oneself verbally is a crucial tool for interacting with the environment and acquiring new knowledge.

This thesis aims to investigate the link between language disorders in preschool age and learning disorders in school age, through the analysis of the most recent scientific evidence in the psychopedagogical and neuropsychological fields.

This thesis aims to explore the role of oral language skills in the development of written text comprehension in children with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). Starting from the analysis of the main theoretical models - in particular the Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986), the Reading Rope Door Design (Scarborough, 2001; 2020) and the cognitive model of McNamara and Magliano (2009), the work delves into the linguistic, cognitive and metacognitive components involved in text comprehension, highlighting how different difficulties (phonological, syntactic, lexical or inferential) can hinder the processing of written meaning, even in the presence of adequate decoding.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a transformative force, capable of revolutionizing teaching methodologies, personalizing learning, and offering innovative solutions to address student difficulties. This master's thesis aims to explore the role of AI as a compensatory tool for learning disabilities (LDs) and also to analyze the pedagogical implications of using AI in education.

This thesis analyzes the topic of learning to read in children with Down syndrome, and in particular the issue of phonological awareness, considered a fundamental prerequisite in typically developing subjects.

This paper explores the topic of Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) in the school and pedagogical context, with particular attention to educational inclusion and the use of technologies as compensatory tools.

This work is intended as an introductory and practical guide for teachers and educators, offering useful insights for addressing the complex but stimulating challenge of inclusive education.

Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) are now a complex and widespread problem within the school environment and require close attention from teachers and educators working in schools, who are called upon to identify situations involving children in difficulty through appropriate tools and timely interventions.

This thesis focuses on a screening conducted at the Marcelline Institute in Lecce, the school where I teach mathematics.

Acquiring reading and writing skills is not a spontaneous process, but requires the integration of numerous cognitive abilities, including phonological awareness, phonological memory, and, in particular, rapid automatized naming (RAN). Scientific literature has highlighted how RAN is an important predictor of reading ability, particularly in individuals with developmental dyslexia, who experience impairments in speed and accuracy in decoding processes.

Starting from the double deficit theory, according to which dyslexia may be caused by a coexisting phonological deficit and a rapid naming deficit, this thesis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at stimulating the RAN to improve reading skills.

Academic well-being is a recently developed construct that has attracted scholars, especially in Italy. According to Tobia and Marzocchi, authors who have contributed extensively to the topic in recent years, it is defined as context-specific and based on a multidimensional and multi-perspective model that simultaneously encompasses psychological, cognitive, and social components, specifically structured around four axes: self-efficacy, causal attribution, and emotional and relational aspects. General well-being, academic well-being, and reading and writing skills are interdependent, and students with learning disabilities are particularly at risk of perceiving the school experience as challenging, thus compromising their well-being.

In the context of reading and writing difficulties, to set up an effective rehabilitation path, it is indispensable have tale of the principles su cui si organizes il code written, because su they must be based also the intervention same. In practice clinic è note also la need di a rehabilitation individualized e targeted for each subject; da here drift la need di to adopt un method of rehabilitation customizable for each children’s wear, centered e calibrated on its technical difficulties e on his points di power.

Il present thesis project is ed elaborates the Written Syllable Method, a rehabilitation method with difficulties instrumental of reading-writing conceived from authors Serena Mazzacurati (speech therapist) e Maria Vittoria Rinaldi (speech therapist, psychomotorist e Psychologist).