DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS
The book " Diagnosis of specific learning disabilities " is intended to guide the clinician towards an approach aimed at understanding the characteristics of the different cognitive and non- cognitive disorders , to define a functional diagnosis and lay the basis for a rehabilitation project, thus to set up a project aimed at improving as much as possible the quality of life of the person suffering from the disorder.
At the core of any treatment, in fact, there must be a diagnosis as accurate as possible, that for every component of the skill examined school must provide at least:
- an objective measurement of the skill (eg. Arithmetic);
- the degree of efficiency of components, cognitive and non- involved in that skill (eg. Reading and writing numbers, quantitative comparison between numbers, school motivation, etc.).
- the general cognitive resources available to the subject (IQ level, strategic knowledge, etc.)
- some qualitative / quantitative clinical indicators of the impact that the disorder has showed globally.
Some tips are given for improving the speed and accuracy in reading and writing and the mathematics skills (the so-called instrumental skills), and a few indications are also provided to improve the comprehension and production of written text and to facilitate the solution of mathematical problems.
It identifies some nonspecific difficulties, some cognitive difficulties, such as visual-spatial and attentional difficulties, and some difficulties related to the emotional and relational aspects. If they are appear alongside the learning difficulties, it is also necessary to evaluate them, because they have a negative impact on the general clinical condition of the patient and are likely to hinder the recovery plan, until it is unusable.
It is also taken into consideration the choice and use of technological compensatory measures and the implications on their use. In many cases some rather improvised and naive considerations are done, such as the one according to which technology can "solve" learning difficulties. According to the book they have to be part of a project that upgrades the compensatory strategies which should also include the development of study skills, irrespective the use of technology, as they are useful for the assessment of clinical outcomes of interventions and rehabilitation and to be able to respond accurately to the question "Does the proposed intervention in X has improved his clinical condition?»
COMMENTS ON THIS PUBLICATION
Although the book was first published in 2002, with a revised edition in 2012, it still shows all its relevance, both as regards contents and proposed solutions to the problem to be addressed when we find ourselves in front of a child suffering from specific learning disorders.
The solutions suggested by the book are all the more present when we are faced with spe-cial educational needs, not attested by medical sèecific certification and especially when there is no support by a clinician who follows the student suffering from this disorder.
For this reason we chose this book as we consider it particularly enlightening in dealing positively and proactively with such disorders.
