Diagnostic Categories and Historical School Sources: Interpreting Special Educational Needs in an Early 20th-Century Rural School in Sardinia (Simaxis 1912-1914)

This paper examines signs of special educational needs in the rural school of Simaxis (Sardinia, 1912–1914) based on teacher Erminia Mura’s handwritten assessments. Using ICD-11 diagnostic categories retrospectively, the study highlights early descriptions of learning and behavioral difficulties. It explores how such challenges were observed, classified, and often marginalized in a selective school system that lacked inclusive pedagogical tools.