Carlos Valiente Barroso

Complutense University of Madrid

Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Intellectual Disability: Experience from the Special Education Classrooms

Participants: Marta Nieto Pujadas1; Ana Isabel Sánchez Nogales1; Cayetana Gil Zorrilla1; Laura de la Cruz1

1Promiva Foundation - Colegio Virgen de Lourdes (Special Education)

Symposium Summary

Intellectual disability is a psycho-educational challenge of undoubted significance both for student performance and for autonomous coping in all areas of life of the affected students.  The educational system tries to offer adequate measures to implement interventions adapted to this type of student, with the regular support of the school and, when it is required, also of the even more adapted service provided by special education. The latter currently works with highly qualified interdisciplinary teams, through which it seeks precision in diagnosis, adaptation of the intervention and, from there, depending on the case, both the return to the regular education classrooms and the maximum possible professional training for a plausible social-labour insertion. Our symposium, which combines interventions from the fields of psychology and education, begins by presenting a global synopsis of the different causes that can derive in intellectual disability, and, supported by the heterogeneous nature of this population, we will explain the possible links that are established between organic anomalies and functional alterations, that is to say, cognitive, emotional, motor, behavioural and social alterations. Next, based on this framework, the action protocol carried out from the psychologist's own role will be presented, to later present different psycho-educational and teaching interventions developed at the School of Special Education Virgen of Lourdes in Majadahonda (Madrid, Spain), a reference institution of this educational model in the Community of Madrid, as well as information about other initiatives planned or being developed by this centre in the fields of psychology and education.

Short CV

Doctor in Psychology -doctorate in neurosciences cum laude- (Complutense University of Madrid), Master in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine (University of Cantabria), International Master in Psychobiology and Cognitive Neuroscience (Autonomous University of Barcelona), Master in Cognitive Neuropsychology (Complutense University of Madrid), Specialist in Psychosomatic Medicine and Health Psychology (University of Alcala de Henares), Degree in Clinical Psychology (UNED). Professor and researcher at University Center Villanueva at Complutense University of Madrid, University European Miguel de Cervantes (UEMC) and Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. With a wide range of subjects taught, he currently teaches subjects for the Degree in Psychology, Master in Psychopedagogy and Master in General Health Psychology. Director of the Clinical and Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Neurosciences (ICIIN). Psychologist and researcher of the Promiva Foundation - School Virgen of Lourdes (Special Education). National coordinator of research projects of the Spanish Federation of Rural Women (FEMUR). Author of numerous publications in different formats, including articles in specialized impact journal, monographic books, book chapters and coordination of collective works. In the current decade, he has published more than a hundred works in national and international congresses, highlighting also his participation in plenary conferences, invited symposia and inclusion in organizing and scientific committees (as both member and president). Director of numerous Final Degree theses (TFG), Master's theses (TFM), and Doctoral Theses, as well as participant as tribunal member in the defense of these types of projects in several universities. Member of different scientific societies such as the Consortium of Clinical Neuropsychology (CNC), Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), Spanish and Leonesian Association of Neuropsychology (ACyLN), Spanish Association of Bioethics and Medical Ethics (AEBI), International Association for Women's Mental Health (IAWMH).
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