Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities occur when individuals are unable to learn and perform academically at the level expected, based on their estimated intellectual abilities and their educational history.  Often, teachers and parents complain that the child is "not working to their potential."  Parents and teachers may also complain that children are not "paying attenton," and/or are deliberately refusing to complete work do to a poor "attitude" or a behavior problem.  When these views are taken, children are often blamed for learning struggles that they cannot control.  It is often the case that children who "don't work to their potential," or who seem to have "attention" problems, actually have a learning disability or processing disorder that makes it virtually impossible, without intervention, to perform to their full potential.

Most Common Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia:  A learning disability that interferes with a person's ability to learn to read.  Warning signs include difficulty recognizing rhyming words by kindergarten, poor letter recognition, difficulty learning sounds associated with each letter, slow/choppy reading, and poor spelling.  Dyslexia is a serious learning disability that can greatly compromise a child's academic performance.  Early identification can lead to appropriate research supported reading instruction, so that children with dyslexia can learn to read and excel. Dysgraphia:  A learning disability of written expression that may be characterized by extremely poor handwriting, poor spelling when writing sentences (though the child may spell accurately on spelling tests), poor use of punctuation and capitalization, inability to accurately copy from the board or a textbook, and difficulty organizing and expressing one's thoughts in written form. Dyscalculia:  A specific learning disability that interferes with an individual's mastery of math concepts.  Warning signs include difficulty learning to tell time, continued use of "finger" counting, inability to remember multiplication tables, and frequent "careless" errors when working math problems. Nonverbal Learning Disability:A set of strengths and weaknesses in an individual, such that language skills are often Average or Above Average, while the processing of nonverbal information is significantly weaker.  Warning signs include talking in sentences before age 1, clumsiness, getting lost frequently, difficulty learning to tie shoes or ride a bike, poor understanding of sarcasm, inability to "read between the lines" in conversations, extremely literal interpretation of language, anxiety in unfamiliar situations, nearly excessive talking (yet actually communicating very little), and difficulties learning math concepts.

ADHD Assessment

At ACSS, Inc. a comprehensive approach to diagnosing ADHD is taken.  While the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states that ADHD can be diagnosed with a clinical interview and parent/teacher questionnaires, the AAP also states that it may be necessary to evaluate for other conditions, such as learning disabilities, anxiety, etc.  The truth of the matter is that many conditions produce ADHD-like behaviors.  Collecting information from parent and teacher questionnaires is important, because it tells us what behaviors are present; however, it does not tell us why those behaviors are present.  To ensure that only children who have ADHD are given a diagnosis of ADHD, all children referred for an evaluation of ADHD-like difficulties receive a thorough evaluation to ensure that learning disabilities, processing disorders, Autism Spectrum disorders, and emotional disorders are not responsible for creating the ADHD-like symptoms.  In addition, specific testing of "executive function" skills is completed, to determine if children actually have deficits in the skills most often impaired in ADHD (e.g., working memory, sustained attention, impulse control, problem solving and planning, etc.).

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) refers to a collection of disorders or syndromes that involve impairments in social functioning and communication, and that are associated with restricted interests and/or repetitive behaviors.  ASDs include Autism, High Functioning Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD NOS).  Children with an ASD may exhibit impaired social functioning, in that they make limited or no eye contact with others, do not engage in age appropriate pretend play, and do not develop age appropriate friendships.  In addition, communication difficulties may range from having no language skills at all, to having very poor pragmatic language skills (i.e., an inability to use language to communicate effectively).  Restricted interests may be present, such that a child appears "obsessed" with one topic and may develop exceptional knowledge of that topic.  Repetitive behaviors, such as lining up objects, insisting that things be done in exactly the same way each day, flapping arms, rocking, etc. may also be present.  Evaluations for ASDs include comprehensive testing of intellectual, academic, executive functioning, behavioral, emotional and social functioning.