Postgraduate School of Child Neurology and Psychiatry

Integrated Educational Objectives (i.e., Common Core)
The trainee must have acquired satisfactory theoretical knowledge and professional competence in the recognition and treatment, including in emergency situations, of the most common pathologies in internal medicine and developmental medicine.
For all categories of the class, given the specific cultural interconnections existing between them, the credits for the common core of related specialties must include:
- theoretical knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the central and peripheral nervous system;
- general theoretical knowledge of the etiopathogenetic mechanisms of neurological and psychiatric disorders throughout the various stages of the life cycle;
- basic theoretical knowledge and practical experience of diagnostic methods, including differential diagnosis (clinical examination, diagnostic imaging, electrophysiological techniques, chemical-biological tests, and psychometric assessments) of neurological and psychiatric disorders throughout the life cycle;
- theoretical knowledge and clinical-practical experience (including emergency situations) related to the main neurological and psychiatric disorders at various stages of the life cycle, including neurological and psychiatric complications of internal medicine diseases;
- basic theoretical knowledge and clinical-practical experience related to the main prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation techniques for neurological and psychiatric disorders throughout the life cycle.

General Educational Objectives
Knowledge of the embryology, biochemistry, histology, anatomy, and physiology of the central and peripheral nervous systems, and muscles, and their physiological changes during development; the fundamentals of statistical analysis; the epidemiology and pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders in development; the mechanisms of genetic transmission of neuropsychiatric disorders in development; psychophysiology and mechanisms of psychological development; the biochemical, physiological, and neuroradiological correlates of neuropsychiatric syndromes in development; The biological basis of the action of neuro- and psychotropic drugs and the medico-legal and ethical aspects of their use in developmental age.

General training objectives
Knowledge of the historical and conceptual dimensions of neuropsychiatric disorders in developmental age.

Educational objectives of the school type
In-depth knowledge of normal and pathological neuropsychiatric development and the biological, familial, and social variables that can influence it; acquisition of knowledge and skills for the etiopathogenetic and diagnostic-nosographic classification of neuropsychiatric disorders in developmental age and the methodological basis for related preventive and clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions (pharmacological, psychotherapeutic, rehabilitative); knowledge of models for the prevention of neuropsychiatric disorders in developmental age; knowledge of all neuropsychiatric disorders in children and adolescents, including their developmental pathomorphosis, for the age group from 0 to 18 years; acquisition of theoretical and technical knowledge for the neuropsychological assessment of disorders of higher cortical functions and learning in children and adolescents and for the implementation of preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitative interventions, including for the social integration of children with disabilities. Acquisition of skills for neurological, neuropsychological, and psychiatric rehabilitation in children and adolescents, including the formulation and monitoring of rehabilitation programs; general theoretical knowledge and technical skills for psychotherapeutic treatments in children and adolescents; acquisition of the essential technical and methodological skills for addressing and treating preadolescent and adolescent crisis situations and consultation and liaison psychiatry in children and adolescents; knowledge of the doctor-patient-parent relationship and issues surrounding informed consent in children and adolescents; acquisition of skills in social psychiatry in children and adolescents, including knowledge of the social correlates of mental illnesses and related rehabilitation and resocialization methods in children and adolescents; knowledge of the neurophysiological, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging frameworks of neuropsychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence; acquisition of skills for comprehensive care (individual, family, and school) of patients with neuropsychiatric disorders in children and adolescents; Acquisition of methodological skills for clinical and epidemiological research in developmental neuropsychiatry, with particular attention to preventive and social child neuropsychiatry.

Mandatory professional development activities to achieve the educational objectives of this program include:
- having followed at least 250 subjects in various developmental age groups (0-18 years) with neuropsychiatric disorders, discussing the diagnostic and therapeutic pathway with clinical staff, gradually assuming decision-making autonomy;
- having administered and interpreted at least 100 neurocognitive/neuromotor assessments in various developmental age groups;
- having directly discussed at least 100 neuroimaging tests of the main neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood and adolescence with expert staff;
- having performed and/or discussed with expert staff at least 250 neurophysiological tests (EEG, EMG, evoked potentials) relating to the main neuropsychiatric disorders of developmental age, of which at least one-third were directly responsible, gradually assuming professional autonomy;
- Have performed at least 50 neurological examinations of newborns, premature babies, and infants, and at least 50 psychomotor observations of subjects aged 0 to 3 years.
- Have conducted at least 150 parent interviews on at least 50 subjects;
- Have participated in the formulation of at least 50 functional diagnoses of children with neurological, neuropsychological, or psychopathological school difficulties;
- Have treated at least 3 subjects in supervised psychotherapy;
- Have followed at least 50 subjects of various age groups with neuropsychomotor, cognitive, and psychiatric rehabilitation programs;
- Have participated in the conduct, according to good clinical practice standards, of at least 3 controlled clinical studies, preferably longitudinal.

The trainee may apply for the diploma after completing the professional development activities.

As part of their training, the trainee will be expected to learn the scientific foundations of the School's typology in order to achieve full maturity and professional competence, including an adequate ability to interpret scientific innovations and a critical understanding that allows them to consciously manage both assistance and their own development. This training may include participation in meetings, conferences, the production of scientific publications, and periods of attendance at qualified Italian and foreign institutions useful for their training.