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Academic Titles
2001-2012  Full professor of Developmental Psychology, Department of Developmental and Socialization Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Padova, Italy. 
1983-2001 Associate professor Universities of Padova, Verona and Ferrara.
1974-1984 Professor assistant University of Padova. 
1972-1974 Research officer of Developmental Psychology.

- Teacher in a course on Developmental Psychology for the 3-year undergraduate Degree in Speech and language therapists

Main Research Interests
- Links between oral and written text comprehension
- Cognitive and linguistic components of oral and written text comprehension
- Comprehension of ambiguous and polysemical expressions, such as idiomatic expressions
- Cognitive and emotional aspects of reading of narrative literature
- Development of instruments for the assessment of oral text comprehension, and connected linguistic abilities, in 3- to 8-year-olds. 
- Sexual harassment in secondary schools and universities
- Second language acquisition in children form immigrant families.

Academic Positions 
She was head of the scientific committee of the Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (2008-2009)
Director of the Interdepartmental Center for Services of the Department of Psychology, University of Padova (2004-2006).
Elected board member of the Italian Association of Psychology (1999-2004).
National coordinator (1999-2000) and local coordinator (2003-2004 and 2005-2006) for Research Projects of National Interest (PRIN) 
Coordinator of a local research group, financed for two years by the University (Progetti di Ricerca) (1999).

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Academic Titles 
1990-2012 Full Professor of Language Development and Communication Psychology

- Teacher in a course on Language and Social Developmental Psychology for the 3-year undergraduate Degree in Developmental and Educational Psychology.
- Teacher in a course on Language in Typical and Atypical Development, for the 5-year undergraduate degree in Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Teacher in a course on Developmental Psychology for the 3-year undergraduate Degree in Personality and Interpersonal Relations Psychology.

Main Research Interests
- Development of definitory competence in typical and atypical populations.
- Analysis of the written linguistic productions of children and adolescents with autism who use "Facilitated Communication".
- Dysfunctional social development, in particular bullingbehaviour and it'related subject-victim behaviour, and different education levels.

Academic Positions 
- Until December 2003, Head of the PhD course of Psychology of Developmental Processes and Socialization
- Since the academic year 2006/07, Headof the B.A. Program in Developmental and Educational Psychological Sciences and related to the M. A. Program in Developmental and School Intervention Psychology.
- Delegate of the head Psychology Faculty

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Education

From 2012 Assistant Porfessor at the Department of Developmental and Socialization Psychology (University of Padova)

2007- 2012 present: Postdoctoral Research Fellow on cognitive and linguistic factors in text comprehension of individuals with Down syndrome
2006: PhD in Developmental Psychology, University of Padova, Doctoral dissertation: "Reading and text comprehension in Down syndrome: the role of cognitive and linguistic factors"
2003: Degree in Psychology, University of Padova

Grants and awards

2016-2017 One year project from European Research Funding of Regione Veneto “APP4ALL: Technologies promoting the inclusion of workers with Down syndrome”

2014-2015 one year Project funded by Piscopia Marie Curie Action: Co-Funding of Regional, National and International Programmes (COFUND), Framework Programme 7 (FP7) “Language dominance in bilingual speakers perceived as balanced”

2013-2014 One year project from European Research Funding of Regione Veneto “Design, development and testing of interactive technological devices for the acquisition of a second language in preschool age”

2009: Two years International Joint Project grant financiated by the British Royal Society in collaboration with prof. Christopher Jarrold (University of Bristol, UK) entilted "Are individuals with Down syndrome able to read for meaning?" 
2008: One year Junior research Project grant in collaboration with dr. Irene Leo and dr. Francesca Pesciarelli financiered by the Department of Developmental psychology and socialization (University of Padua) entitled: "The influence of linguistic information on emotion recognition in individuals with Down syndrome"
2006: Young Scientist Award, Italian Psychological Association -Developmental Psychology Section for the paper "Reading comprehension in Down syndrome: the role of decoding and listening comprehension"
2005: Study Visit Grant of the EPS (Experimental Psychology Society) undertaken at the Department of Experimental Psychology (University of Bristol) with dr. Christopher Jarrold "The role of phonological awareness and short term memory on reading skills of individuals with Downs syndrome" 
2004: Young Scientist Award, Italian Psychological Association -Developmental Psychology Section for the paper "Reading skills in individuals with Down syndrome: word, sentence and text comprehension"

Main research interests
- Linguistic development of bilingual children: the role of cognitive, socio-cultural and individual differences

-Narrative comprehension and production in children with typical and atypical development (Down syndrome, Language Impairment)

-      Reading and comprehension in individuals with Down syndrome: the role of linguistic and cognitive skills.

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Education

2015- present        Postdoctoral Research Fellow on multiple text  comprehension in primary school children (DPSS-University of Padua)

2012-2015            Postdoctoral Research Fellow on reading comprehension difficulties and related individual and contextual risk factors (DPSS-University of Padua)

2011-2012            Postdoctoral Research Fellow on gestures and words in shared picture-book reading with preschoolers with specific language impairment: Analysing parent-child interaction to promote effective conversational strategies (University of Verona)

2010: PhD in Developmental Psychology (Mention of Doctor Europaeus), University of Padova, Doctoral dissertation: "Listening Text Comprehension in Preschoolers: Concurrent and Longitudinal Contribution of Cognitive and Linguistic Component Skills"
2005: Degree in Developmental Psychology, University of Padova

Grants and awards
2010          Young Scientist Award, Italian Psychological Association -Developmental Psychology Section, for the doctoral dissertation: “Listening Text Comprehension in Preschoolers: Concurrent and Longitudinal Contribution of Cognitive and Linguistic Components”.

2010          Honourable mention for Luigia Camaioni Award, Italian Psychological Association -Developmental Psychology Section, for the doctoral dissertation: “Listening Text Comprehension in Preschoolers: Concurrent and Longitudinal Contribution of Cognitive and Linguistic Components”.

2009          Mention of Doctor Europaeus for the doctoral dissertation: “Listening Text Comprehension in Preschoolers: Concurrent and Longitudinal Contribution of Cognitive and Linguistic Components”.

      The dissertation has been evaluated by two European experts in text comprehension research:

- Prof. Paul van den Broek, University of Leiden, the Netherlands

- Dr. Alix Seigneuric, Université de Bourgogne, France.

2008: Study Visit Grant of the EPS (Experimental Psychology Society) undertaken at the Department of Psychology (Lancaster University) with dr. Kate Cain "The Simple View of Reading in transparent and non transparent orthographies"
2009- present: Research Fellow on the acquisition of Italian as a second language in children form immigrant families.

Main research interests
- Language and cognitive abilities in typically developing school and preschool children
- Listening comprehension and related language and cognitive abilities in preschool-children
- Decoding and reading comprehension in children with typical development
- Second language acquisition in immigrant children

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Education


2011: PhD degree in Developmental Psychology and Socialization Process, University of Padova (Padua, Italy). Doctor Europeus award.

2007: Second-Level Degree in Language Sciences, curriculum Language Impairment and Deafness. Faculty of Foreign Languages, University Ca' Foscari (Venice, Italy).

2002: Degree in Linguistics and Literature, curriculum Hispanic Linguistics. Faculty of Linguistic, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru (Lima, Perù).

 

Academic experience


2015: Visiting researcher at the University of Padova, sponsored by the Coimbra Group of European Universities.

2011: Visiting researcher at the Bilingual Language Literacy Lab, Department of Speech and Hearing Science and Applied Linguistics, Arizona State University, sponsored by COST-ACTION IS0804 Language Impairment in a Multilingual Society, European Cooperation in Science and Technology. (Supervisor: Prof. Maria Adelaida Restrepo)

2010: Visiting student, School of Psychological Sciences, Human Communication and Deafness Division, University of Manchester. (Supervisor: Prof. Gina Conti-Ramsden), sponsored by University of Padova.

Main research interests


- Reading and language skills.

- First language acquisition in typical development.

- Second language acquisition.

- Language acquisition in an atypical population: Specific Language Impairment.