Abstract
Although obsessional, ritualistic and stereotyped behaviors are a core feature of autistic disorders, substantial data related to those phenomena are lacking. Ritualistic and stereotyped behaviours can be found in almost all autistic patients. Additionally, cognitive able individuals with Asperger’s disorder (AD) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA: defined by the presence of IQ- levels > 70, Howlin, 2004, p. 6) mostly develop circumscribed, often called obsessional interests and preoccupations. Results from recent research indicate that autistic individuals frequently suffer from obsessions and compulsions according to DSM-IV criteria of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), being associated with marked distress and interference with daily life. OCD and autism share several similarities regarding symptom profiles and comorbidity. Etiologic overlap between the disorders becomes especially evident when focussing cognitive, neurobiological and genetic aspects.Autism-related obsessive- compulsive phenomena (AOCP) have generally to be differentiated from OCD-symptoms, although there is no sharp borderline.
Keywords:Autistic disorders, Obsessive-compulsive phenomena, Asperger’s disorder, High Functioning Autism, Special interests

Abstract
The study of similarities and differences in the cognitive profiles of persons with genetic-based Intellectual Disability is relevant to increase our understanding about the complex way in which genetic aspects affect cognitive processes. Genetic syndromes have been mainly studied with reference to withinprofile variability. The aim of our study was to compare cognitive syndrome profiles in order to detect those cognitive variables that better characterize each syndrome. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was administered in a sample composed of 156 persons with mild or moderate Intellectual Disability, 94 males and 62 females, divided into four groups according to their genetic syndrome (Down or Trisomy-21,Williams, Prader-Willi, Fragile-X) The groups were paired on chronological and mental ages and levels of maladaptive behaviors. Variance analysis across syndromes, followed by a discriminant analysis, were performed for all the variables. Results showed that the delay in cognitive functions is higher in attention-concentration and visuo-spatial constructive skills than in verbal skills. The genetic syndromes had different profiles, with a higher level for Prader- Willi than for Down and Fragile-X; the intra-profile disharmony was lower in Down and higher in Williams syndrome. Discriminant analysis allowed us to detect the best discriminating subtests in the classification of syndromes based on cognitive points of strength and weakness. Our results supported the hypothesis that Intellectual Disability reflects the impaired functioning of a complex system in which some skills are damaged more than others. The question of “what discriminates better among syndromes”may be answered assuming a “modular” perspective of mind in disability. To analyze what abilities are specifically impaired in each syndrome, is useful to plan specific rehabilitation procedures.
Keywords: Genetic syndromes – Intellectual Disability – Phenotype – Cognitive profiles

Abstract
In this paper we reported some results of research carried out in Italy with participants with Mental Retardation (better defined as Intellectual Developmental Disability) due to genetic syndromes (Down, Fragile-X, Cornelia de Lange and Prader-Willi), evidencing specific conditions characterized by deficit or ‘surplus’ in reading, writing and maths performances, and in social adjustment respect to the intellectual competencies. In some cases the comparison was made also with respect to abilities of memory and language. Results suggested that the cases of ‘surplus’ are in our context more frequent than those found in International literature, and this may be due to the positive effects of the integration in normal classrooms of most pupils with intellectual disabilities. A debate on these issues, comparing diverse cultural and social realities, is welcome.
Keywords: Intellectual Disabilities,Deficit, Surplus, Genetic Syndromes

Abstract
Over the past 30 years, preterm births have drastically increased and today represent 12.5% of total births. About 1.2% of preterm births characterize very preterm births (GA<32weeks) that, with very low birth weight (BW<1500grams), are constantly found as risk factors of unfavourable neurological outcomes in longitudinal follow up studies. Actually, also “late preterm” children (preterm born from 33 to 36 weeks of gestational age), normally considered at low risk for neurodevelopmental disabilities, are supposed to represent a population of children to be monitored. Previous findings of a general cognitive impairment in children born preterm have gradually addressed the assessment of more specific neuropsychological skills and pointed out the importance to follow these children up to adolescent age. The neuroanatomical prerequisite of an abnormality in frontal lobe development and the correlation with various neuropsychological dysfunctions (fine and gross motor disabilities, executive function and working memory deficits, visual-constructional and attentional dysfunctions) underline the interference of preterm birth with normal brain maturational phases. Though showing more demanding neurodevelopmental pathways than term peers, a large number of preterm children tend to functionally normalize in adolescence. The review supports the hypothesis of a neurodevelopmental model that can be at risk to influence dysfunctional neuropsychological outcome.
Keywords: Preterm infants, Developmental neuropsychology, Executive functions,Working memory, Minor neurological dysfunction

Abstract
Right brain damages can manifest deficits of communicative skills, which sometimes cause an important inability.The communication impairments following a right hemisphere damage are distinct from those in aphasia and may affect discursive, lexico-semantic, pragmatic, and prosodic components of communication. It is calculated that this troubles affect almost a 50% of this patients.However, these impairments have essentially been studied separately and their possible coexistence in a same individual is still unknown. Moreover, the clinical profiles of communication impairments following a right hemisphere damage, including their correlation with underlying cognitive deficits, are still unreported. The goal of this article is to offer an overview of the verbal communication deficits that can be found in right-hemisphere-damaged individuals. These deficits can interfere, at different levels, with prosody, the semantic processing of words and discourse and pragmatic abilities. In spite of the incapability that they produce, communicational impairments in right brain damaged are usually neglected. Probably, the sub-diagnostic is due to the lack of an appropriate classification or to the absent of adequate assessment tools. In fact, patients with right brain damages might present harsh communicational deficits but perform correctly on aphasia tests because the last ones are not designed to detect this kind of deficit but left brain damaged impairments. Increasing our knowledge about the role of the right-hemisphere in verbal communication will have major theoretical and clinical impacts; it could facilitate the diagnosis of right brain patients in the clinical circle and it will help to lay the foundations to elaborate methods and strategies of intervention. Keywords: Right hemisphere, Verbal communication, Lexical, Semantics

Abstract
This review is a critical analysis regarding the study and utilization of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II) as a basis for establishing specific criteria for evaluating relevant international scientific literature.The WHODAS II is an instrument developed by the World Health Organisation in order to assess behavioural limitations and restrictions related to an individual’s participation, independent from a medical diagnosis. This instrument was developed by the WHO’s Assessment, Classification and Epidemiology Group within the framework of the WHO/NIH Joint Project on Assessment and Classification of Disablements. To ascertain the international dissemination level of for WHODAS II’s utilization and, at the same time, analyse the studies regarding the psychometric validation of the WHODAS II translation and adaptation in other languages and geographical contests. Particularly, our goal is to highlight which psychometric features have been investigated, focusing on the factorial structure, the reliability, and the validity of this instrument. International literature was researched through the main data bases of indexed scientific production: the Cambridge Scientific Abstracts – CSA, PubMed, and Google Scholar, from 1990 through to December 2008.The following search terms were used:“whodas”, in the field query, plus “title” and “abstract”.
The WHODAS II has been used in 54 studies, of which 51 articles are published in international journals, 2 conference abstracts, and one dissertation abstract. Nevertheless, only 7 articles are published in journals and conference proceedings regarding disability and rehabilitation. Others have been published in medical and psychiatric journals, with the aim of indentifying comorbidity correlations in clinical diagnosis concerning patients with mental illness. Just 8 out of 51 articles have studied the psychometric properties of the WHODAS II. The instruments have been translated into 11 languages and administered to a total of 88,844 subjects. Finally, the WHODAS II is prevalently used in the medical field, with major emphasis in the specialities of psychiatry, general medicine, and rehabilitation. All studies point out that WHODAS II as an effective and reliable instrument in order to assess the disability, individual functioning and participation levels. Furthermore, they often suggest administering the WHODAS II along with quality of life measures. Finally, the studies about the psychometric properties of the instrument agree in considering the WHODAS II a reliable and valid tool for disability assessment.
Keywords:WHODAS II, WHO classifications, Biopsychosocial model, Disability classifications

Abstract