You may have noticed that I use terms like ‘exceptionalities’ or ‘learning differences’ throughout this site.

That’s because I prefer to see the issues kids with special needs face through a lens that de-stigmatizes rather pathologizes their particular challenges. I think it’s healthier for the child, their family and their support team to view their exceptionalities (learning differences) in the light of strengths and challenges. Educationally, it’s important to emphasize differences rather than disabilities, even though a diagnosis is required when filing for insurance coverage to pay for various therapies.

When you get a diagnosis, it can be overwhelming. You may hear terms like “disorder” or “deficit”. These are the words that unlock funding and support under the Americans with Disabilities Act (see specific legislation pertinent to a different country of origin than the US).

Just remember, all diagnosis refer to some sort of acknowledged “difference”, but know that we are all different, one from another, making us no less of value than another.

In my experience, psycho-educational evaluations vary from superficial with a diagnosis, to in-depth reporting with a diagnosis followed by critically important suggestions that parents and teacher can implement.

Should your child’s psycho-educational evaluation be on the slim side, here are some suggestions until you can arrange a more helpful psycho-educational evaluation. The first step in addressing any area of concern or difference is to see it as it is. The healthiest approach is to acknowledge any concerns, then highlight the positives that can be used as avenues for success. Much can be gained from parent and teacher observations.

Observations will include the obvious, but taking that a step further. What more can be noticed with respect to your child’s capacity, availability, independence, consistency, and so forth. If any of these are an issue, observe (over time) what might make a difference. For instance, availability could relate to time of day, or something else. Independence could relate to fear of risk taking, or something else. Consistency could relate to attention, or something else.

Experiment, and document. When you have a clearer picture ask yourself what strategies could be implemented that might strengthen your child’s capacity, availability, independence, consistency, and so forth. Implement and work with strategies , over a period of time, but be willing to abandon one or all if further observation and planning are called for. You are trying to connect the dots. It takes time.

Possible Diagnoses

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not considered to be a learning disability, per se, but it can be determined to be a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This makes a student eligible to receive special education services. Approximately 20 to 30 percent of children with ADHD  also have a specific learning disability.

Specific Learning Disabilities is a term that has been legally codified so it provides children access to resources that best support them as they move through their education and grow into adulthood. It involves 5 psychological processes: perception, attention, memory, metacognition, and organization. These processes help us to manipulate information and to engage in the world.  

Learning Differences is not a legal diagnosis and therefore it does not provide a special education in a least restrictive environment. It is a term that does not pathologize learning, and it reminds us all that no brain operates perfectly, and that like a fingerprint no brain is exactly alike in the way it takes in information, makes sense of it and uses it to connect to the world.

Sensory Processing Disorders refers to the ways in which a child’s nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into inappropriate motor and behavioral responses. We usually think of the senses as in the “5 senses” of: taste, smell, touch, sight and hearing. Neurologists also include subtler sensory processing issues involving position and movement which result in fine and gross coordination difficulties and those of our internal organs which can result in difficulty with toilet training and somatic complaints like stomach aches.

These sensory signals can be underwhelming or go undetected, or they can be perceived as overwhelming or they can result in a craving for sensory stimulation.

Auditory Processing Disorder also known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder refers to difficulty processing sounds as they travel from the ear to the brain. They may have trouble distinguishing between sounds, understanding where sounds are coming from or in filtering out background noise.

Language Processing Disorder is a subset of Auditory Processing Disorder where a child has difficulty attaching meanings to sounds groups she hears in the form of words, sentences and stories.

Dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia refer to challenges a child may have in efficiently using the symbols for reading, spelling, writing and calculating and then translating these symbols into meaning.

Non-Verbal Learning Disability (NLD or NVLD) may be the most under recognized learning disability. This neurological condition is characterized by poor visual, spatial, and organizational skills often impacting their progress in math; difficulty recognizing and processing nonverbal cues often impacting their social skill set; and poor motor performance sometimes impacting their handwriting and body awareness in space.

Visual Perceptual-Motor Deficits affect a child’s understanding of information they see and their ability to replicate it such as difficulty in drawing or copying. They may struggle with subtle differences in shapes or letters. These children may lose place easily when reading or experience difficulty in learning to manipulate scissors or writing instruments and have poor hand/eye coordination.