Stigma and Clinical Implications in Educational Discourses: An Ethnopsychological Description of Special Educational Needs Configurations in Italian School Culture

Abstract The increase in requests for certifications has created uncertainty and changes in the way minors are perceived in the school environment. The way schools categorise minors can influence their developmental path, either facilitating or compromising their psychological and, in some cases, clinical development. This article presents a study conducted with various roles that collaborate with schools in different capacities, aiming to identify how minors with special educational needs are categorised today. The research design utilised a methodology based on semi-structured interviews. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was used to analyse the data to uncover the discourses present in Italian school culture today. The results reveal three specific conceptualisations of children: the needy child, the demanding child, and the child with strengths and weaknesses. From these findings, it is possible to draw some implications about the identity of minors, their social and clinical value, and the potential stigma attached to them. This study provides a clearer picture of the Italian situation, with the aim of developing more inclusive practices that are consistent with the principles that characterise them, implementing certain processes in schools, such as teamwork and training in specific intervention methodologies.