Abstract
Aquatic environment offers an exciting and motivating place for children and aquatic exercise programs provide an appropriate setting for early educational interventions in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a specific Multi-systemic Aquatic Therapy (CI-MAT) on gross motor and adaptive skills in a child with ASD. The study was divided into three phases: baseline, 12-week CI-MAT program and Post-Test. Child was administered a battery of tests incorporating anthropometric measurements, gross motor development test (TGM test), Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) and Psychoeducational Profile (PEP-3) before and after a 12-week CI-MAT program. The child improved locomotor and object control skills after CI-MAT program. Concerning social behaviors, the higher proportion of gains was observed in the sensitivity of other’s presence and eye contact for the contact domain and in the comply turn for the domain relationship. Furthermore, after the CI-MAT program period, the child showed improvements in his social behaviors. The results of this study showed that CI-MAT program was effective for the development of gross-motor and social skills in a child with ASD. Moreover, there is an urge to carry out a whole psychological assessment targeting both motor and adaptive development suitable to provide educational and vocational plans of exercises for people with ASD.

Abstract
Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is commonly thought of as a ‘childhood’ disorder but is increasingly recognized as affecting adults. The aim of this study was to explore the psychological impact of receiving a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood. Method: A qualitative study was conducted. Twelve adults (seven male, five female; aged 18-54) participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Three master themes were identified with subthemes: (1) Looking back: different, faulty; relief and regret; reframing; (2) Looking inwards (with acceptance); and (3) Looking outwards: labeling: disability, stigma and social comparisons. Conclusion: The results highlighted a dilemma: diagnosis was necessary to access appropriate support and helpful to acknowledge (and potentially reframe) experiences, understand oneself better (including recognizing strengths) and foster a sense of belonging. However, after diagnosis there remains a struggle with the sense of self, feeling stigmatized, and the permanence of being or having ADHD forever.

Abstract
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is often associated with overweight or obesity. Clinical practice guidelines recommend that people with T2DM should regularly perform aerobic and resistance exercise and reduce the amount of time spent sitting. However, most adults with T2DM remain inactive and those who start a program are not willing to maintain exercise for the long run. To evaluate the relationship between supervised exercise, glycemic control, fitness and potential body image a longitudinal study with intervention was conducted. Twenty-three T2DM adults were assessed on Body Mass Index, glycosylated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), Fitness Index (FI) and Potential Body Image (PBI) at baseline and after completing a six-month supervised exercise program. BMI and Fitness Index were modified by exercise. No group differences were found on HbA1c and PBI. However, significant individual differences in BPI were detected by means of mixed-effects models. A six-month exercise program can affect some biological and clinical parameters as BMI and Fitness Index. High inter-individual variability was observed in PBI. Mixed-effects models should be preferred to the traditional ANOVA's and personalized supervised intervention should be implemented for long-term maintenance of exercise.

Abstract
Although linguistic deficits are frequently reported in children with dyslexia, the role of memory mechanisms underlying these impairments have yet to be clearly defined. It is still unclear whether the main reason for dyslexia is due to a phonological impairment, or more specific memory dysfunctions, such as deficits in memory encoding or memory retrieval. The purpose of this study was to try to determine, or rule out, the role of memory functions in children with dyslexia and mixed learning disorder (MLD). Thus, 54 children (aged 8 to 12 years old) were recruited and divided into three groups; children diagnosed with dyslexia, MLD, and healthy controls. We assessed children’s fluid intelligence, working memory, short-term and long-term object recognition memory, digit span, and reading speed. There was no significant difference between control and dyslexia groups in terms of their fluid intelligence scores, on the other hand the fluid intelligence scores of MLD group was significantly lower than both dyslexia and control groups. Besides, the diagnosed groups showed significantly poorer performance on working memory, object recognition memory, digit span and reading speed than controls. Discriminant function analysis indicated that significant predictors for distinguishing the three groups are object recognition, forward digit span, and working memory, respectively. The lower performance on digit span and both verbal and non-verbal working memory tasks in dyslexic children can be evaluated as a general encoding strategy problem. We suggest that dyslexic children cannot properly encode verbal and nonverbal stimuli, and thus cannot maintain and retrieve them.

Abstract
Background. The term prenatal attachment refers to the bonding that parents develop towards the unborn baby. It is considered a precursor of the care-giving system and there is evidence that it could affect the parent-child relationship. Literature provides the knowledge of predictors of poor maternal prenatal attachment. However, paternal prenatal attachment is rarely studied and few studies have investigated prenatal attachment in couples. Aim: The study aims at evaluating the relationship between prenatal attachment, distress symptoms and selected psychosocial variables in couples in the third trimester of pregnancy. Methods: First-time parents attending public antenatal clinics were recruited into the study. A set of questionnaires investigated: sociodemographic, psychosocial and pregnancy related variables, depression and anxiety symptoms, distress and prenatal attachment. Results: Multiple linear regression showed that the woman’s worries about pregnancy, her perceived social support, age and disappointment with the child’s gender were independent predictors of maternal prenatal attachment. The degree of involvement toward the fetus by the father, his perception of the partner’s attitude towards him during pregnancy and the impact of distress were independent predictors of paternal prenatal attachment. The results indicate several areas amenable to intervention by healthcare professionals to support couples in the transition of parenthood.

Abstract
Relationships between Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and alexithymia have been the subject of an amount of studies over the last 20 years, and numerous empirical evidences showed that alexithymia has a substantial prevalence (up to 50%) in ASD subjects. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the role of the alexithymic component on autistic functioning in adults with ASD. 72 subjects (mean age = 28.3 ± 10.1) with IQ > 80 compiled the Ritvo Autism and Asperger’s Diagnostic Scale – Revised, the Autism-Spectrum Quotient and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Results showed significant differences between subject with high, borderline and low levels of alexithymia, suggesting that alexithymia: (1) does not seem to be pathognomonic of ASD; (2) is associated with a higher severity of some autistic symptoms; (3) is linked to specific ASD dimensions and does not overlap with all autistic dysfunctional areas. A careful evaluation of alexithymia in ASD may represent a potential marker of a worse outcome of the autistic condition.

Abstract
The hospitalization of children has been considered as a very stressful event that negatively affects the parental subjective and psychological well-being connected to resilient resources and adaptive coping strategies. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in resilience, coping strategies, and well-being between a selected group of parents of short-term hospitalized children and parents of healthy children, and to analyze the correlations among these psychological dimensions in parents of hospitalized children. Parents were asked to complete the Resilience Scale, the CISS, and the PWBs. Results demonstrated that both parents of short-term hospitalized children and those of healthy children showed comparable levels of resilience and of psychological well-being, and adopted the same strategies mainly focused on task-oriented coping. In addition, the more the parents of hospitalized children were resilient, the more they used the task-oriented coping and considered themselves as able to be autonomous, to manage their own environment, to reach the established goals, and to cultivate a positive self-image; moreover, the more these parents used task-oriented coping, the more they felt themselves highly autonomous, able to manage easily their own environment, and to develop a positive self-representation in relation to their children care. These findings probably depend on both the severity of illness - considered as temporary diseases or transient state of illness rather than as chronic disease - and the short-term hospitalization. Future research is needed to deepen the different impact of long-term versus short-term hospitalization and the effects of children’s illness severity on parental well-being.