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By Suzanne Day
Learning Disability is a hidden condition. The child's information processing is inefficient in one or more areas. Those that manifest the symptoms will tell that they feel stupid. Like this comment "I just can't figure out what the teacher is saying. So I just stare and I think: am I the only person in the world who is so dumb." The label of "Learning Disabilities" allows to alleviate this depressive feeling and somehow gives a reason for the child's learning difficulties. However, it is only when some of the root causes are identified that pertinent interventions can be planned. As a neuropsychologist I have found that the best tool to efficiently address these difficulties and increase the processing is a neurodevelomental-educational approach to learning.
Learning disabilities lie in some of the central nervous system's inefficient functions. An interruption of the natural development of the Central Nervous System (CNS) brings incomplete brain's organization which prohibit the child from achieving his maximum potential. The sequential development of the CNS from birth, and the simultaneous development of the different domains like vision, auditory, tactility, language, mobility, and manual functions should brings complete brain's organization toward achieving the person's maximum potential. The child with learning disabilities cannot access his potential because of neurodevelopmental inefficiencies.
Specific inefficiencies are identified by looking at what and how is the child's brain receiving information through the different senses. Consideration is given on how the skin and the muscles, the ears and the eyes are communicating the proper information to the brain. For example, convergence is often a problem. The convergence is the ability of the two eyes to work synchronously together. When the eyes do not converge, a degree of double vision is experienced which confuses the child who will "squint" in his attempt to eliminate the double vision. Eye exercises can correct this problem. Another problem for example is the difficulty of the child to do multi-tasks. Often these children have not developed an efficient cross pattern movement and are lacking in speed of processing. Developmental exercises can be used. Understanding how the child's brain receives the information allows, in subsequent steps, to concentrate on how he processes the information, stores and utilizes it.
Attention problems are frequently involved with learning disabilities. Attention problems present a wide range of symptoms. One of the frequent symptom is a weak tactile function also known as delay in sensory integration. Children who experience sensory distortion often display learning difficulties. Each of the senses have a specific function in the learning process that channels the information to the brain. When facing behaviour problems such as, impulsivity, hyperactivity, aggressivity, and reduced attention span, investigating the sensory system broadens our perspective and increase our efficiency in treating the symptoms. We recognize two types of sensory dysfunction: the "hyper" which leads to an over sensitive reaction to information and the "hypo" which yields an under sensitive state.
Here are few examples of children with these difficulties. Children who always ask to remove the tags from the back of their clothes are hyper sensitive to surface touch. Children who are seen as "very tough" to pain when at the dentist, or children complaining of ear infections only when the eardrum bursts, would be considered hyposensitive to deeper touch. These hypo-tactile children can rarely keep still. They often need to feel pressure and consequently will move, lean on or over things, and can be aggressive toward other children. The surface and the deep touch sensation are being processed in two different parts of the brain.
The child who is sensitive to sunlight and fluorescent lighting would be considered hyper-visual. The hypo-sensory visual child will have difficulty in keeping order in his room even though his mind would be able to perceive complex three dimensional designs.
Children who are hypersensitive to noises will be easily distracted in a larger group or to any sharper sound. These hyper-auditory children have difficulty concentrating because they do not adequately filter noises. They will often disconnect from the environment if they are forced to stay in this auditory overload.
The brain seems to misinterpret the information bought from the senses. The objective of the treatment is to normalize the brain's perception of the information brought through the senses. The treatment, through specific and targeted repetition of appropriate activities, aims the stimulation of functions of the Central Nervous System (CNS) responsible for efficient learning process. Plasticity (new pathways can be generated in the brain) and repetition allow these pathways in the CNS to be permanent and constitute the basis for the therapeutic treatment. The program is administered at home. The progress is assessed at regular intervals and modifications are made to address the next developmental needs which allow the parents to continue to better understand their child.
Copyright 2005 Suzanne Day, Neuropsychologist member of l'Ordre des psychologues du Québec
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