Child Neurology and Psychiatry and Developmental Psychopathology - NEUROPSICHIATRIA INFANTILE (2019/2020)

Learning outcomes

Aim of the course is to introduce students to the principles of neurodevelopment, taking into account their future professional skills and requirements, in a child school setting. The course will be divided into two main parts. First, developmental issues will be illustrated: the concept of development as the by-product of genetically determined characteristics of any subject and the environment, focusing on both the prenatal environment (maternal physical and emotional conditions) and on what occurs post-natally in relation with the early newborn-mother interactions. Then it will be discussed the issue of the CNS development and its commitment at birth for main human activities to develop. Lastly, the concept of the evolution from function to competence will be discussed, and the main trajectories associated with the maturation of human functions in childhood will be outlined. The processes of acquisition of motor, linguistic, cognitive, emotional competences will be discussed and commented with the students. In the second part of the course, students will deal with aspects of abnormal development and/or neuropsychiatric issues. A number of topics will be discussed, giving a definition of the condition and providing examples of situations in which the students may have to tackle in a class-room, or elsewhere during their professional activity. As a major goal we wish to provide an approach which allow them to identify the best performances an affected child can give as well as to recognize signs and symptoms which may require an immediate intervention; the role of emotional distress as a trigger for symptom manifestation as well as for functional impairment of some competences will be outlined. The following subjects will be illustrated: Motor Disability, Intellectual Disability, Disorders of Communication (including disorders of Language Development), Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficits (including the concept of ADHD), Convulsions and Seizures, Headache, Pain, Sleep Disorders.

Principles of Neurodevelopment of Preschool Toddlers
Principles of Neurodevelopment of School-Age Children
Motor Disability and Development Motor Disorders
Disorders of Language Development
Intellectual Disability
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Behaviour Disturbances (including ADHD)
Convulsions and Convulsive Disorders
Psychosomatic Manifestations; Headache, Pain, Sleep Disorders

Oral examination: selected topic (by the student) and question(s) by the examiner.