Publications by authors named "Marina Menna"

Through the description of the catechetical and liturgical experience of persons with multiple disabilities at the Serafico Institute of Assisi, we intend to initiate a discussion on the specific value that Rite and Rhythm have for learning and social participation of persons with severe physical, Psychic and sensory disabilities, from an integral educational and rehabilitative prospective. In summary, our attempt is to focus on elements such as the enhancement of non-verbal language within the Eucharistic liturgy, the ritual (in its characteristic of repetition) as an opportunity for learning, rhythm as an opportunity for spatial-temporal and social-relational movement.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

People with intellectual disability or psychiatric disorders are commonly excluded from Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) because of explicit exclusion to the trials or because of inaccessible research protocols. We analyzed the exclusion rate of persons with cognitive impairment, psychiatric disorders and inability to give informed consent in interventional RCTs about the first 10 causes of global DALYs (disability- adjusted life-years) according to the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) utilizing the website Clinicaltrials.gov.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The concept of physical and intellectual disability has experienced a series of changes and evolutions over time with regard to approach, classification and rehabilitation-therapeutic programs, since it contemplates a heterogeneous clinical phenomenology in terms of severity, complexity, pervasiveness and severity of the diagnosis. The significant repercussions on the quality of life mean that a comprehensive approach is required with attention to the physical, social, emotional, sensory and cognitive profile, and that there is a need for the adoption of classification systems and assessment tools that are different and in some ways pioneering, so as to guarantee the surpassing of the concept of disability as a "mere defect" physical and/or impairment and/or loss of psychological, physiological or anatomical function (Holden & Gitlesen 2003, Linden 2017, WHO 2001). It is exactly in contemplation of a bio-psycho-social model, that the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) arises, which possesses a neutral position with respect to etiology and a complementarity with the ICD-10 classification (WHO 2001), since it allows the functional diagnosis (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Music is a very important factor in everyday life, involving mood, emotions and memories. The effect of music on the brain is very debated. Certainly, music activates a complex network of neurones in auditory areas, mesolimbic areas, cerebellum and multisensory areas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Individuals with multiple disabilities can have a wide range of characteristics depending on the combination and severity of the disabilities, such as intellectual disability, mobility issues, sensorial impairment, language issues and brain injury. New technologies can help therapists find an alternative way to engage and interact with clients by opening a communication window and starting to build the therapeutic relationship. The need to use more customized technological tools led us to develop the Painteraction system, an intuitive tool based on Augmented Reality that allows clients to be immersed in their own images.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Complex disability is very difficult to manage. It usually subtends very serious clinical pictures, because it affect several body systems, or because it is associated with intellectual disability and behavioral disorders. Often affected patients are unable to communicate their basic needs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neurodevelopmental disorders often result in disabilities associated with auto- and / or hetero-aggressive behaviors, that can be defined as "problem behaviors" (Lacy 2007). Therapeutic interventions are mainly directed towards the use of neuroleptic drugs or benzodiazepines, to ensure a rapid and significant sedation in most of cases. These pharmacological devices exposes the patient to clinical risks and/or long-term management difficulties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Multidrug-resistant epilepsy is a pathological condition that affects approximately one-third of patients with epilepsy, especially those with associated intellectual disabilities. Several non-pharmacological interventions have been proposed to improve quality of life of these patients. In particular, Mozart's sonata for two pianos in D major, K448, has been shown to decrease interictal electroencephalography (EEG) discharges and recurrence of clinical seizures in these patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF