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Many parents ask me why it seems as though more children have a diagnosis these days and is this a help or a hinderance?

The Evolution of Diagnosis

I explain it by thinking back to the era of Neanderthal people (“cave people”) and how they would have survived or not, depending on their individual needs.  This was truly a time of “survival of the fittest”.  The people with physical disabilities, hearing impairments/deafness, blindness etc. would not have had as greater chance at escaping attacks by wild animals etc.

It wasn’t until the 13th century that eyeglasses were invented.  It wasn’t until the 17th century that the ear trumpets and the first hearing aids were invented.  Imagine how the world would have changed for these people when they discovered that with the aid of eyeglasses they could see clearly!  Imagine the happiness one would feel to be able to hear more clearly after years of muffled sounds!

I believe we are now in the era of understanding the brain!  With the invention of brain scanning technology,  in-depth standardized psycho-educational testing, and on-going research studies, we are discovering how different brains are wired every day.  The field of brain research is burgeoning and new books and studies are constantly being published.  I find the brain research very exciting.  Finally, we have tools and research to help us understand how our brains are wired.  Our children are so fortunate that with the help of professionals, we can help them understand how their brain works.

By first understanding how a person’s brain works, we can then figure out the “prescription” as to how to help the brain grow and learn as efficiently as possible.  Diagnosis provides us with information we need to figure out the best type of “glasses” (adaptations) for the brain.

~ Sharon Selby

Dyslexia Before Diagnosis

Imagine a child’s world with undiagnosed Dyslexia…

They experience difficulties such as reading, spelling, sequencing, processing information and remembering what they have just read.  All of these challenges often result in failure which leads to decreased academic confidence and the desire to give up on learning. Children and adults with undiagnosed Dyslexia struggle along, thinking that they aren’t intelligent. We now know that having Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence. Many brilliant and successful people have Dyslexia.  For example, Richard Branson has Dyslexia and is an advocate for helping people understand Dyslexia. (I recommend viewing the excellent Decoding Dyslexia Facebook page)

Other Learning Disabilities

Although, Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, there are other learning disabilities to be aware of such as:

• Dyscalculia (affects the ability to work with and make sense of numbers)
• Dysgraphia (difficulties with writing/printing, putting thoughts on paper, spelling)
• Reading Comprehension/Oral Comprehension learning disabilities

The comprehension learning disabilities are often the least noticeable because the child can often read well, write sentences and spell well. However, as one investigates further, it is apparent that the comprehension is very weak.

In my private practice, this is the learning challenge that I often notice when a chid is struggling to comprehend the key concepts of a a psycho-educational story that we have just read together. After my informal assessment, I often then recommend to parents, to have their child meet with a psychologist for a formal psycho-educational assessment, where a learning disability or another diagnosis, can be ruled in or ruled out. I believe it is essential that parents follow their intuition and personal observations and be advocates for their children.  Schools are usually doing the best they can, with the resources they have, but the reality is that in both public and private schools, a lot of children are missed because, within a classroom of students, only the most severe ones will be noticed.

ADHD and the Myths

ADHD is another diagnosis that is associated with a lot of myths. There are some people who still believe that it is a case of “poor parenting”. Fortunately, the brain imaging technology has proven that ADHD a medical neurobiological disorder. It is a deficit of the nervous system most often due to genetic or biological factors.. The wiring in the brains for these children is different, in particular, in the executive functioning area of the brain. These children also need different adaptations in order for their learning to be efficient and successful.

The Importance of Diagnosis

The list goes on… Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, OCD, Tourette’s, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Gifted and more.

The reality is that we are now living in the generation of the brain. We now have much more advanced knowledge for making an accurate diagnosis.  If your children are having struggles or seem unusual, it is very beneficial to have them assessed, in order that you can have a greater understanding of their brains and how to create the most successful environment for them. It is also extremely helpful for teachers to gain in-depth insight of their students’ brains, in order to teach them in the most efficient way. Depending on the age of your children, it is also important that you explain to them how their brain works, in order that they don’t feel ashamed and think there’s something wrong with them.

These days, if we realize our child needs glasses or a hearing aid, we are very thankful to find out our child’s needs and put the necessary accommodations in place. To me, this is the same philosophy when our children receive a diagnosis; we now have the huge benefit of knowing how to support them grow and learn in the best way possible. Parenting is not a “one size fits all approach” either, and therefore the other benefit of assessment, is knowing the best ways to parent a child according to his/her learning style.

Our children are on a learning trajectory.  If it’s not heading in a positive direction, then the best time for intervention is while they are young. The research repeatedly states the importance of intervention for making significant differences in a child’s brain.

Could a child use this information as a crutch? Next week I’ll discuss this important matter.

Have a wonderful week,

Warmly,