Key Lectures of the CLASTA Days 2026

Barbara Arfè’s Key Lecture at the CLASTA Days:
Dynamic assessment for the early identification of risk of dyslexia/dysorthography

Dynamic assessment is an evaluation technique that measures learning potential rather than the level of learning already achieved. This invited lecture presents the results of two studies aimed at assessing the use of a dynamic reading assessment test for the early identification of children at risk
of dyslexia and dysorthography.
In a first longitudinal study (Study 1), performance in a syllable-reading learning task (dynamic assessment) was evaluated in 100 Italian and 100 Danish children at the beginning of the first year of primary school. Their performance was then longitudinally correlated with reading outcomes one year later, demonstrating good predictive validity for early reading skills.
In a second case-control study (Study 2), the association between performance on the same dynamic reading assessment test and performance in word-writing tasks was examined in 15 children with dyslexia and 15 controls. Results indicated a significant association between dynamic reading assessment scores, word-writing speed, and spelling accuracy.
Both studies will be discussed in light of their clinical and educational implications.

Pietro Celo‘s Key Lecture at the CLASTA Days:
Learning to read and write in signing deaf children as a translation act: the intramorphic perspective

Starting from a comprehensive view (Jakobson, Torop, Quine, etc.) of translation as an act inherent to human experience, this contribution presents an intramorphic teaching approach to literacy acquisition in signing deaf children. The approach is based on intersemiotic translation between sign language and the alphabetic writing system.
This methodology emphasizes continuity between handshape configurations and graphemes, privileging the visual channel over the phonological one. Through iconic materials and coherent narrative pathways, it promotes a gradual process of symbolic re-signification.
The study, combining quantitative and qualitative methods, aims to compare outcomes and error types, highlighting potential advantages over traditional approaches.

Laura Villa‘s Key Lecture at the CLASTA Days:
Neurodevelopmental semiotics: dimensional interweavings

Neurodevelopmental semiotics provides essential tools for understanding communication disorders across development. In particular, analyzing the dimensional interweavings between communication disorders in the autism spectrum and language disorders in the neurotypical population allows us to move beyond a strictly categorical view. These conditions share early indicators, variable developmental trajectories, and common neurobiological factors, while differing in degrees of complexity and impairment. Comparative analysis of clinical signs makes it possible to identify continuities and differences, supporting more accurate diagnoses and personalized interventions focused on the individual’s functional profile.