The giftedness as a Special Educational Need: development trajectories and professional practices in Italian school

The theme of giftedness holds great importance today in scientific studies within the educational field, which, while reflecting on strategies for promoting inclusive education, is increasingly interested in the care of the educational path of so-called gifted students ([1]; [2]). These students can be recognized as potential students with Special Educational Needs (SEN), considering that they often face situations of difficulty that can compromise the quality of their educational and developmental journey. The theoretical perspective adopted in this contribution assumes that giftedness constitutes a multicomponential construct, not to be confused with and reduced to only intellectual quotient ([3]; [4]). Therefore, it is necessary to approach it from a multidimensional perspective, both to fully grasp its constellation of characteristics and to operate effectively in the various educational contexts in which the gifted student grows and is involved ([5];[6]). In this regard, it is important to highlight the significance of personalizing teachings, valuing individual learning styles, and adhering to the principle of educational responsibility. This can be achieved, for example, through educational plans that include program extensions, compacting, self-regulated learning, challenging tasks, metacognitive approaches, and different assessment methods. These measures can contribute to counteracting the risk of cultural deprivation, loss of potential, and social exclusion to which gifted students are often exposed. In Italy, the field of giftedness understood as SEN has been the subject of educational policies since 2019 when the first normative references and guidelines regarding the management of giftedness and talent in schools were approved and disseminated (Ministry of Education and Merit, Note No. 562 of April 3, 2019). The delay in our country in adopting measures for identification and support for this type of individuals represents a serious institutional shortfall, which has so far prevented the activation of educational policies aimed at enhancing human capital ([7]). Internationally, the theme has long been relevant in school policies ([8];[9];[10]). The focus of this contribution, therefore, was to deepen the design guidelines, the articulation of the theme of giftedness, also in legislative terms, and the declared practices at the European level, in order to acquire elements of analysis useful for a critical reading of the Italian situation in this regard. The main outcomes of the investigation allow delineating a rather heterogeneous European framework of school policies with highly diversified approaches to giftedness. There is also a widespread tendency to consider giftedness as an element that requires the personalization of educational paths, and this is confirmed even in the Italian context. While normative references in Italy seem to encourage this orientation, further work is needed to raise awareness of the issue in schools and to train the teaching staff regarding strategies that can be effectively effective in qualifying their professional practices in terms of talent enhancement.