Elisa Giangiacomo

Dr. Elisa Giangiacomo

Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Lazio, Italy
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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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29 July 2022 in Children
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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EGElisa Giangiacomo
Elisa Giangiacomo
MVMaria Castellano Visaggi
Maria Castellano Visaggi
FAFranca Aceti
Franca Aceti
NGNicoletta Giacchetti
Nicoletta Giacchetti
MMMelania Martucci
Melania Martucci
Carla SogosCarla Sogos
Carla Sogos
The aim of the present study is to explore the effect of early neuro-psychomotor therapy to improve theory of mind skills and emotion recognition in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. A pilot study was set up, consisting of in-group training activities based on the neuro-psychomotor approach. Children were evaluated using Neuropsychological Assessment for Child (Nepsy-II), Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC), and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). For data analysis, one-sample Wilcoxon signed rank test was used with a significance of p < 0.05. Two children with a developmental language disorder and four children with autism spectrum disorders participated in a 3-month training program. Our findings revealed significant improvement in emotion recognition, as measured with Nepsy-II (p = 0.04), while no statistical improvement was found for theory of mind. Despite the limited sample, early neuro-psychomotor therapy improves emotion recognition skills in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, considering the explorative nature of the study, findings should be interpreted with caution.