Clinical Psychology

General aims The general aim of the course is to provide the student with the knowledge and skills necessary for planning, imple-menting and evaluating assessment activities of linguistic development and educational and clinical interventions for the promotion of linguistic abilities. Students will acquire theoretical and methodological knowledge on the methods and tools for assessment and intervention in language development: strategies and models of intervention for language education in typical and atypical development. Different approaches that can be applied in various clinical and educa-tional settings will be discussed. The laboratory will propose activities for practicing these techniques in a Service Learning project. Specific aims Knowledge and understanding Upon completion of the course students will acquire knowledge of direct and indirect, quantitative and qualitative tools for the assessment of communicative and language skills that in children from 0 to 16 years. They will have in-formation about the assessment tools’ structure, function, contexts and aims of application and psychometric charac-teristics and criteria of interpretation. In addition, students will receive knowledges about a range of language interven-tion models that can be used in pre-school and school age, in clinical and educational contexts, and mediated by par-ents. Applying knowledge and understanding Following the completion of the course students will be able to design a project of language assessment and interven-tion, selecting the appropriate tools to be used depending on the aim and context of the intervention, and mastering the methods of administration, analysis, and interpretation of the results of selected tools. Students will also be able to pro-vide a language education intervention programme consistent with the level of communication and language devel-opment of the child and with the characteristics of her environment. Making judgments The skills targeted by the course will be acquired through practical activities and exercises that will allow the students to learn how to use the assessment tools and how to apply the intervention models. Communication skills By writing a report of a practical experience, the student will acquire the ability to write a report evaluating linguistic skills and intervention on language and to communicate the results and implications to different types of users (chil-dren, parents, educators, etc.) Learning skills The research work about assessment and intervention tools and the critical analysis of their application and character-istics will lead students to develop their abilities to study autonomously and to plan their continuing education.