The prevalence of students with a specific learning disorder at Italian universities: The Tor Vergata, Rome case
Ilaria De Meis, Anna Giulia De Cagno, Pier Gianni Medaglia, Loredana Biglietto, Mario Lunghi
This paper describes the project carried out by the University of Tor Vergata in Rome with the inclusion of a speech therapist for students with a Specific Learning Disorder. The project was guided by current legislation, which underlines the importance of adequate study support in achieving an academic title. Specifically, we used specific teaching and assessment methodologies, favouring the use of strategies and resources. The data, collected in the six academic years observed, analyses the population of students with an SLD since the activation of the project. The variables taken into consideration are: the number of students with an SLD, the distribution of the sample regarding gender and faculty, and the number of graduates. In the years since the activation of the project, we have noticed a significant increase in the number of students accessing the project and we believe that this supports the choice made by the university of actively providing a service of this kind. Finally, the increase in the number of enrolled students with an SLD does not seem to suggest a preference in the choice of faculty and represents an encouraging result for a project that has inclusion as its goal.
Keywords
Specific Learning Disorder, University student, Speech therapist, Compensatory tools, Dispensatory measures.
