By Dr Amira Elbatrawy
Even the most experienced parents can have anxious moments during their child’s formative years. What is the benchmark, they wonder? Is my child developing skills and cognition at a normal rate? Let’s look at the important points and the most commonly voiced concerns.
At what age can you consider a child has a learning difficulty?
Not all kids develop learning skills at the same rate, but learning difficulty may appear as early as preschool years (e.g., difficulty learning names of letters or counting objects), but they can only be diagnosed reliably after starting formal education.
What tests are carried out to ascertain what type of problem exists?
Learning disability is a clinical diagnosis, it can be identified by psychiatrists, school psychologists, clinical psychologists, and other learning disability specialists through a combination of intelligence testing, academic achievement testing and class performance monitoring. Other areas of assessment may include perception, cognition, memory, attention, and language abilities, through tests measuring the executive functions of the brain.
What are the main problems you encounter?
The main problems seen in our clinics are difficulties related to reading, writing and math, mostly reading. This is always associated with academic deterioration and poor performance in school, with frequent complaints from the teachers. Many children have behavioral problems as well.
What are the critical ages in children’s development when they most need assistance?
Preschool years, especially 3-5 years of age, are considered the main critical age of development that needs assistance otherwise the problem will be much more devastating as long as the child grows.
How do you tackle the various issues?
Proper history taking, not only from the parents but from the school teachers as well, is very important together with ongoing clinical and psychological assessment of the child.
Do you involve the parents in the remedial process, and to what extent?
Parents are considered one of the cornerstones of management of such problems and they should be a crucial part in the management plan all through.
Does nutrition play a role in helping some conditions such as ADHD?
There’s no clear scientific evidence that ADHD is caused by diet or nutritional problems or that eating special kinds of food may help in relieving some symptoms.
Do you make recommendations regarding lifestyle adjustments?
Yes, of course, scheduling and structured daily activities for those children are very important. Also involving the child in activities and sports that help increasing attention and concentration may help.
How do you differentiate between a slow learner and a child with a deep problem such as dyslexia?
A slow learner is a child of below average intelligence, whose thinking skills have developed significantly more slowly than the norm for his/her age. This child will go through the same basic developmental stages as other children, but will do so at a significantly slower rate. On the other hand, a child with specific learning disability is one of average or above average intelligence who has specific difficulties, which can make learning very difficult. In short, if there is a discrepancy between the child’s potential and actual achievement.
How can a parent tell a difference between hyperactivity and ADHD?
Hyperactivity could be a normal finding in children, but it is considered to be a problem when it affects their functions, mainly their academic performance and social development.
What are the signs that indicate that the child needs therapy?
Communication skill problems, language and speech problems, behavioral problems, as well as academic deterioration are all considered signs that necessitate immediate intervention.
Is dyslexia a big umbrella under which a lot of other learning difficulties fall?
A reading disorder is the most common learning disability. Of all students with specific learning disabilities, 70–80% have deficits in reading. The term ‘developmental dyslexia’ is often used as a synonym for reading disability; however, many researchers assert that there are different types of reading disabilities, of which dyslexia is one. It is a common word, frequently used to describe learning disability in general, but scientifically, this is not what is actually present.
Biography:
Professor Dr. Amira Nassieb Elbatrawy
Professor of Psychiatry-Faculty of Medicine-Ain Shams University
Head of Child Psychiatry Department-AlMashfa Hospital
Doctorate (MD) Degree in Psychiatry
Faculty of Medicine – Ain Shams University.
Diploma in Psychiatric Practice (DPP)
The Conjoint Board of King’s College – London University and Faculty of Medicine – Ain Shams University.
Master Degree in Neurology and Psychiatry
Faculty of Medicine – Ain Shams University.
MB BCh
Faculty of Medicine – Ain Shams University.
