Pistoia, 4 November 2024 – Almost one hundred support positions in derogation have been requested in the last three months from the provincial school office due to the presence of as many disabled students in Pistoia schools. From July to October (three months) it was certified by the ASL Toscana Centro one student a day. Disability at school is a widespread phenomenon in Pistoia. The province is the one with the highest rate of disabled people in the classroom based on the population density of the area, a fact that pushes schools to ask for more and more support teachers.
In detail, the vast majority of new certifications concerns the so-called Comma 1, i.e. students who have been recognized as having a slight delay or a slight physical handicap. However, these students are still recognized with the 104 certification and therefore the full right to a support teacher. In the minority but with a high rate of children who suffer from autism spectrum disorder, pupils who, in addition to having their support teacher recognized, have the right to be assisted by educators from the relevant municipality, called autonomy assistants, who cover the student’s entire school time. But how does the certification process for schools work? The disorder is usually reported by teachers or by the family. The student’s parents then contact their family doctor. It is the pediatrician or general practitioner who requests a visit to the reference operational unit of the ASL Toscana Centro. From there, after some tests, the neuropsychiatrist decides whether or not to certify the student and what level of severity to give. The feedback must then take place through the doctor in charge of the INPS who concludes the procedure. In the province, the rate of disability among school pupils grows dramatically every year, so much so that it pushes the various representatives of the sector – health workers or school workers – to analyze the phenomenon.
