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For Health Care Providers...
The Health Care Provider's Critical Role
As a health care provider (pediatrician, psychologist, speech pathologist, etc.), you can be the significant first access point for children dealing with learning issues. Often pediatricians or other health care professionals are the first resources parents/caregivers consult when concerned about their children's learning or behavior issues.The Risk of "Wait-and-See"
When Learning Issues are Likely to Surface
Treat the Whole Child
Assisting Parents/Caregivers
Addressing Patients' Learning Issues: A Step-by-Step Guide
The Risk of "Wait-and-See"
While you may be inclined to take a wait-and-see approach when advising a worried parent, a delay can have serious negative consequences for your patient. For this reason, early intervention is strongly encouraged. Studies indicate, for example, that reading failure rates as high as 40% can be reduced to 6% or less with access to early and appropriate educational services.
When Learning Issues are Likely to Surface
Because different skills are required of children at each stage of their education, certain learning issues may not become apparent until the particular stage at which the affected cognitive function is required. The period from 3 to 4 years of age, the learning-to-read period from 6 to 8 years of age, the transition to more demanding material in middle school, and the transition again to high school each may present critical times to intervene.
Treat the Whole Child
When addressing learning issues, it is important to treat the whole child. Various factors can converge to affect a learning issue, and addressing these in an integrated way allows for optimal treatment. Integrating services of a learning specialist in the school or in private practice, a speech and language specialist, an occupational therapist, a psychologist or psychiatrist, or other providers is helpful. One of the practitioners providing case management can aid in treating the whole person.
Assisting Parents/Caregivers
You may encounter caregivers who are overwhelmed by how to navigate systems to access services for their children who are struggling with learning. The more you understand the process they must go through to access services for their children, the more helpful you can be to them and, ultimately, to your patients. Please see the guide below for more information.
Addressing Patients' Learning Issues: A Step-By-Step Guide
1. Look for signs |
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2. Refer to LDA |
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3. Recommend diagnostics |
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4. Encourage pursuit of support services |
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5. Bridge the gaps |
Step 1: Look for Signs
Certain signs indicate a child may need assistance with learning. Early signs of learning difficulties include:- Delays in language development
- Auditory processing difficulty
- Trouble with coordination
- Short attention span
- Over-activity
- Difficulty completing assignments
- Problems with organization and study skills
- Anxiety or other mood difficulties
- Difficulty reading
- Trouble with written expression
- Difficulty with math
- Memory issues
- Problems with nonverbal cues
- Physical symptoms of stress such as headaches or stomach aches
- Reluctance to go to school
Step 2: Refer Parent/Caregiver to LDA
If a child is struggling with a learning disability, ADD/ADHD, or other neurological impairment, the caregiver must take an active role in accessing the appropriate support services required for his/her success. This often means navigating a complex system in what can be an emotional process. LDA's Project Connect offers a variety of services - including Educational Consulting - to help caregivers best advocate for the needs of their children. When you suspect a child has a learning disability, please urge his/her caregivers to call LDA Life and Learning Services at (585) 263-3323 so that your patient can benefit from the earliest possible intervention.Step 3: Recommend Diagnostic Testing
Advise caregivers to obtain differential diagnostic information. Neuropsychological and psychoeducational evaluations assess the presence of neurological, attentional, educational, and psychological factors that can contribute to a learning difficulty.Evaluations can be done by school districts, once a student is determined eligible under current school policy (see appropriate age-related section in What to Do Next for details about pursuing school-funded testing). Evaluations can also be performed by professionals in the community (for a list of professionals, please see Links & Resources). Findings from these assessments may need to be supplemented by evaluations from speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, or others.
Evaluations can cover various components, including cognitive abilities, processing speed, memory, language, attention, auditory processing, visual-motor skill and integration, executive function, motivation, affective and behavioral factors, and achievement in reading, writing, and math.
Step 4: Encourage Parent/Caregiver to Access Support Services
Advise caregivers to obtain educational and other services when warranted. Advise families to understand school regulations and policies that affect the receipt of services (see What to Do Next). LDA educational consultants can help caregivers learn about and navigate this complex system.Educational and other services students may receive are:
- Resource room support
- Inclusion classroom support
- Tutoring
- Private learning specialist support
- Psychologist intervention
- Speech and language specialist intervention
- Occupational therapy intervention
