AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to:

• provide students with basic preliminary knowledge of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, including the interaction between biological, psychological, familial, and socio-environmental factors;

• offer a general understanding of clinical conditions and of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for neuropsychiatric disorders, with a focus on collaboration within the multidisciplinary child neuropsychiatry team, and with pediatric and other healthcare professionals;

• introduce key topics related to psychomotor and intellectual delay, including the main causes, comorbidities, family-related issues, and the corresponding preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative interventions, in order to define neuropsychomotor goals and family support strategies;

• develop in students the ability to observe and assess psychomotor and neurological development in children with developmental delays, and to acquire skills in comprehensive and multidisciplinary care, as well as in targeted interventions, to enable early identification and prevention, along with appropriate interaction with the child’s family and the broader healthcare team.

Expected Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• demonstrate basic preliminary knowledge of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, including the interaction of biological, psychological, familial, and socio-environmental factors;

• classify the main clinical forms;

• recognize the most frequent disorders in developmental neuropsychiatry, with a focus on intellectual disabilities/mental retardation (including general features, clinical etiopathogenesis, care approaches, associated syndromes and psychological phenotypes), as well as pseudo-mental retardation and pseudonormal profiles, for the purposes of early identification and multidisciplinary management, and to plan therapeutic and habilitative interventions;

• understand the principles of comprehensive care in Child Neuropsychiatry, with particular attention to disability (especially complex forms), related educational and rehabilitative tools, and the specific rehabilitative needs of children and adolescents;

• lay the groundwork for designing, implementing, and evaluating tailored preventive and rehabilitative programs;

• recognize early signs of disorders and describe associated symptoms analytically;

• apply core diagnostic criteria, observational methods, and assessment tools—particularly in the evaluation of neuropsychomotor functions;

• critically evaluate the etiopathogenetic factors involved;

• distinguish these disorders from other similar conditions through differential diagnosis;

• build the foundation for therapeutic-rehabilitative planning and multidisciplinary management, including family engagement methods such as information sharing, counseling, training, self-help, and the principles of Family-Centered Therapy;

• observe and discuss different assessment methodologies;

• identify factors that may interfere with the assessment process and understand how to address them.

TEACHING METHODS

The course is delivered through oral lectures supported by slide presentations, clinical examples, and interactive discussions. Students are encouraged to actively participate and reflect on clinical cases and care models. Teaching materials are provided by the instructor and made available on AulaWeb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

• Psychomotor, emotional, and affective-relational development in children and adolescents

• Developmental disorders

• Intellectual disabilities (formerly Mental Retardation): definition, etiology, clinical features, associated conditions, syndromes and psychological phenotypes, emotional problems

• Pseudodeficits and pseudonormal intellectual profiles (formerly referred to as mental)

• Care and management of intellectual disabilities

• Complex disabilities

• Family-centered care

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Maurizio De Negri, Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Piccin, Padua, 2004.

• Lecture slides provided by the instructor as supplementary materials.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

Class schedule

PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGY AND PEDOPSYCHIATRY: SUPPORT AND CARE FOR MENTAL DISABILITY

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam. The final grade, expressed in thirtieths, is assigned based on the level of knowledge and training acquired by the student.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam is designed to verify the achievement of the expected learning outcomes: the ability to apply knowledge using practical tools, communication skills demonstrated through the oral exam, initial development of interdisciplinary collaboration and professional role awareness, and the enhancement of insight through experiential learning.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The course is held in the second semester of the second year through frontal lectures supported by slide presentations, video recordings, and interactive discussion. Assessment is carried out as an oral examination, within the overall evaluation of the integrated course to which the subject belongs. Teaching materials are provided by the instructor and made available on the AulaWeb platform.