Educational objectives 7 Educational goals
General aims
The course aims at providing the students with theoretical and practical knowledge that would them help understand how to use theoretical models for explaining risk behaviors in adolescence, highlighting evaluation processes and evidence based treatments. The expected learning outcomes would be: competent and critical reading of theoretical models related to developmental psychology, research reports and single case study, efficacy evaluations; competent planning of prevention programs and evidence based programs for typical and atypical adolescents (eg., autism spectrum disorder).
The traditional lessons would allow students to master the main principles behind a correct evaluation program, evaluation of protective and risk factors in adolescence. Laboratory lessons would provide students to manage assessment, and the analysis of risk and protective factors related to different risk behaviors. The laboratory thus ensures acquiring the practical and technical ability related to assessment and evidence based programs, and the analysis of specific risk and protective factors in adolescence. The students will examine the trends and issues that affect children and adolescents today—including substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, suicide, non suicidal self-injury behaviors, and they will have the possibility to analyze the programs for social inclusion of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. The laboratory thus ensures acquiring the practical and technical ability related to evaluation and treatment for typical and atypical adolescents.
Attendance to the laboratory lessons and experiences must be considered mandatory.
7.1 Specific aims
Knowledge and understanding: passing the exam would imply being capable of understanding and using the most widely used tools for at risk adolescents and evidence based programs.
Applying knowledge and understanding: passing the exam would imply mastering testing and planning intervention programs for specific target of adolescents.
Making judgment: passing the exam would imply mastering the ability to make informed judgments and evaluations on test and questionnaires and for evidence based programs; such abilities would allow to detect pitfalls, limitations, and potential improvements and developments in the Italian context. These abilities would be attained through discussions on single case design, and evaluation reports. Discussions would be held in the traditional lessons as well as during the laboratory sessions.
Communication skills: passing the exam would attest that students master the communication abilities and tools needed for an efficacious scientific communication for evaluation process, and evidence based programs.
Learning skills: passing the exam would attest the acquisition of skills conducive to further learning related to psychological test and programs for at risk adolescents. During the traditional lessons such abilities would be transmitted by emphasizing different perspective on risk and protective factors, and showing – during the laboratory session –single case studies and prevention and treatment programs.
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Educational objectives Learning disabilities and special educational needs
General aims. The course aims at building theoretical and practical knowledge concerning the neurodevelopmental disorders, with a specific focus on specific learning disabilities (namely, dyslexia) and Attention and Hyperactivity deficits.
The expected learning outcomes would be as follows: (a) comprehension of a multifactorial model of human development in which several factors (i.e., neurobiological bases, cognitive mechanisms, emotions, family and school environment) interact to produce individual differences in cognitive development and learning profiles; (b) comprehension of the diagnostic criteria and the requirements of an assessment aimed at providing guidelines for intervention; (c) knowledge of the main tests and questionnaires for the assessment of the neurodevelopmental disorders that are the targets of this course; (d) ability of synthesizing the main results of an assessment; (e) ability of writing guidelines for the intervention at school; (f) knowledge of the Italian laws concerning special educational needs.
The teacher-led lessons –enriched with discussion forums- will allow students to master the main principles behind a correct evaluation program, to be reflective in understanding the heterogeneous individual profiles within a same diagnostic category, to understand the complex set of psychometric and qualitative observations allowing to build a dynamic functional profile in which the weakness and strength points of an individual child are emphasized.
Laboratory sessions will allow students to practice assessment procedures, simulate interviews with parents, observe and simulate interactions with children in the course of an assessment, synthesize and interpret the main results of an evaluation. These skills will be built through analyses of video and simulations. Attendance to the laboratory sessions is mandatory.
Specific aims. Knowledge and understanding: passing the exam would imply having acquired concepts in relation to dyslexia and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. For each of these atypical developmental profiles the students will also know the cognitive functions (e.g., working memory) and academic learning (e.g., text comprehension) that are likely to be weak or impaired, the main intervention techniques and guidelines for the schoolwork.
Applying knowledge and understanding: passing the exam would imply writing a short reports in which the results of a short assessment involving a primary school child (after the acquired parents’ informed consent) will allow to practice some of the main concepts shared in the lessons and mastering testing procedures to evaluate reading, text comprehension, attention, some executive functions, working memory, self-efficacy. Making judgment: passing the exam would imply the ability to make informed judgments and evaluations on test and questionnaires, to detect pitfalls, limitations, and potential improvements, guidelines for intervention. These abilities would be attained through discussions on single cases and evaluation reports. Communication skills: passing the exam would attest that the student masters the communication abilities to lead an interview with parents, to synthesize the main point of an assessment report and the guidelines for an intervention. Learning skills: passing the exam will imply writing short essays in which the student is asked to generate concept maps depicting the main concepts of theoretical lessons, answering to requests of explanation, planning the main assessment steps taking into account the points of an interview with a child’s parents.
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