Keeping up with the other kids in class, is a lot easier if you know your ABCs
What are learning difficulties?
Learning difficulties describe medical conditions that affect a child’s ability to read, write, speak, listen and get along with others. Many kids with learning difficulties have average or above average intelligence with no physical problems and yet struggle to keep up with others of the same age in learning and daily functioning.
Experts suggest that learning disabilities are caused by genetics, problems during pregnancy and birth (e.g. low birth weight, prematurity), medical conditions and injuries to the brain after birth (e.g. head injuries, brain infections). While the causes are not clear, treatment options are available and have been proven to be effective.
Often, children with learning disabilities are gifted and/or have another co-existing condition such as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). For these reasons, it is important for these children to be assessed by a team of specialists with experience in helping children.
Some common types of learning difficulties
• Reading Disability (Dyslexia)
• Math Disabilities (Dyscalculia)
• Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia)
• Auditory and Visual Processing Disorder
Diagnosis and Treatment
The first step is for the parents to spot a consistent pattern of difficulty. The child should then be assessed by a psychologist, who would also examine schoolwork samples and gather observations from parents and schoolteachers. The psychologist then suggests a customized education plan to help the child overcome his or her difficulties. Our team of child development specialists also works closely with schoolteachers to suggest changes to the school environment.
What’s important to note is that learning disabilities do not go away. Children with learning difficulties usually do not just “grow out of it”. This life-long condition cannot be “cured” by medication, therapy, or expert tutoring.
Children with learning difficulties often experience frustration, anxiety and disappointment as he or she struggles to meet daily expectations or challenges. Left unrecognised and untreated, children with learning difficulties often develop low self esteem and isolate themselves.
The good news is, early detection and accurate assessment when combined with effective interventions have been proven to help children with learning difficulties reach their fullest potential.
Make an appointment
If you think your child has a learning difficulty, please call 6397 6627 for an appointment. To help us make the most of your appointment, parents are invited to fill in the intake form and fax it to 6397 6701 or email to:info@thomsonpaeds.com
The information which you provide will be kept strictly confidential. Your permission will be sought if any disclosure of information is needed.
Playing catching with other kids, need not be just a wish
What are development delays?
Every child usually achieves certain skills by an expected time period, passing what we call developmental milestones. But if a child isn’t able to walk by 24 months, or a 4-year old has not started talking, this may be a cause for concern. Delays may hint at an underlying problem, which can be improved if detected early.
Delays may occur in any of the following: gross motor, fine motor, speech and language, cognitive/ intellectual, and/or social and emotional development. The cause may be genetic (e.g. Downs Syndrome), problems at pregnancy and at birth and problems acquired after birth (e.g. hearing loss from recurrent ear infections). Sometimes the causes are unknown.
Will my child catch up after some time?
Each child develops at a different pace. Some children may show a delay in development but later progress on at a normal rate. There are also some children whose delays are more persistent and may develop developmental and learning disabilities later on.
Diagnosis and Treatment
A child development specialist usually makes the diagnosis following guidelines of developmental milestones. Treatment involves using targeted interventions to help the child overcome the delay. For example, if the child has not learnt how to walk, a paediatrician’s consultation is crucial to assess the cause of the delay and physiotherapy is conducted to help the child strengthen his or her muscles that are required for walking.
Make an appointment
If you think your child has a developmental delay, please call 6397 6627 for an appointment. To help us make the most of your appointment, parents are invited to fill in the intake form and fax it to 6397 6701 or email to: info@thomsonpaeds.com
The information which you provide will be kept strictly confidential. Your permission will be sought if any disclosure of information is needed.
Not wanting to go to school may sometimes be more than just laziness
What are emotional and behavioural disorders?
This is a group of conditions that can affect a child’s mood, behaviour, emotions and thoughts. Children with these conditions are often mistaken for being naughty or mischievous. Emotional and behavioural disorders may be due to genetic, temperament and environmental reasons (e.g. school stress, parenting style).
Some common types of emotional and behavioural disorders:
• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)
• Depression
• Anxiety
Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis is usually carried out using a combination of standardised psychological tests, observations of child, obtaining a detailed history of the child and parents and schoolteacher’s feedback. Treatment comprises with a combination of behavioural and cognitive therapies, and/or medication.
With timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment and support for the child, most of the symptoms and distress associated with childhood and adolescent emotional and behavioral disorders can be treated.
Make an appointment
If you think your child may be experiencing emotional and behavioural problems, please call 6397 6627 for an appointment. To help us make the most of your appointment, parents are invited to fill in the intake form and fax it to 6397 6701 or email to: info@thomsonpaeds.com
The information which you provide will be kept strictly confidential. Your permission will be sought if any disclosure of information is needed.
What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?
ADHD is a neurological condition affecting a person’s ability to control his or her attention and/or behaviour. People with ADHD usually show one or more symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The cause of ADHD are not known. Studies have found that ADHD largely runs in families and children who have suffered a brain injury may show some behaviors similar to those of ADHD.
Symptoms of ADHD can appear in children as early as three years old. Different symptoms may also appear in different settings, depending on the demands the situation may require for the child to demonstrate self-control. For example, a 5 year old child with hyperactive behaviour may not be picked up as children at that age are not required to stay seated for long periods.
Signs of ADHD
• Feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming while seated
• Running, climbing, or leaving a seat in situations where sitting or quiet behavior is expected
• Blurting out answers before hearing the whole question
• Having difficulty waiting in line or taking turns.
• Acting without thinking
• Often becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights, sounds and thoughts
• Often failing to pay attention to details and making careless mistakes
• Rarely following instructions carefully and completely losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books, and tools needed for a task
• Often skipping from one uncompleted activity to another.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Because many normal children may have these symptoms, and the symptoms may be caused by another disorder, it is important that the child receive a thorough examination and appropriate diagnosis by a well-qualified professional.
Our child development specialists treat ADHD with a combination of strategies from behavioural therapy and/or medication. Through consultation with our child development specialists, children with ADHD can lead successful and fulfilling lives.
Make an appointment
If you think your child has ADHD, please call 6397 6627 for an appointment. To help us make the most of your appointment, parents are invited to fill in the intake form and fax it to 6397 6701 or email to:info@thomsonpaeds.com
The information which you provide will be kept strictly confidential. Your permission will be sought if any disclosure of information is needed.
What is Dyslexia?
Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with reading, spelling, writing, pronouncing words and sometimes speaking. Problems displayed by people with dyslexia are complex and each child often present with various symptoms.
Signs of Dyslexia
• Difficulty recognizing letters, matching letters to sounds and blending sounds into speech
• Trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week or similar common word sequences
• Difficulty with rhyming
• Difficulty mastering the rules of spelling
• Reading below expected level
• Slow to learn and understand new skills – relies heavily on memorization
• Frequent reading and spelling errors
• Trouble with word problems in math, remembering facts and numbers
• Poor handwriting, awkward pencil grip
Diagnosis and Treatment
Our psychologist diagnoses dyslexia using standardised assessment tests to assess a child’s ability to understand and use spoken and written language. Our psychologist will take into account family history, intellectual ability, educational background, social environment and other factors that can affect learning. Once the child is diagnosed with Dyslexia, our psychologist develops an education plan. We will then refer the child to our specialist education partners so that the child will be taught ways to overcome his or her learning difficulty.
Make an appointment
If you think your child has a learning difficulty, please call 6397 6627 for an appointment. To help us make the most of your appointment, parents are invited to fill in the intake form and fax it to 6397 6701 or email to:info@thomsonpaeds.com
The information which you provide will be kept strictly confidential. Your permission will be sought if any disclosure of information is needed.
What is Dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is an umbrella term referring to a wide range of learning disabilities involving math. There is no single type of math disability, and difficulties experienced vary between individuals and affect people differently.
Signs of Dyscalculia
• Difficulty learning how to count
• Poor memory for numbers
• Trouble organizing things in a logical way
• Trouble learning mathematical facts (e.g. addition, subtraction)
• Difficulty developing math problem-solving skills
• Poor long term memory for math functions
• Difficulty learning math concepts beyond the basic math facts
Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosing Dyscalculia involves examining how a child understands and uses numbers and mathematical concepts. Our psychologist will administer standardised mathematical paper and pencil tests, intelligence tests and examine samples of the child’s schoolwork to determine if the child has Dyscalculia. We will then refer the child to our specialist education partners so that the child will be taught ways to overcome his or her learning difficulty.
Make an appointment
If you think your child has a learning difficulty, please call 6397 6627 for an appointment. To help us make the most of your appointment, parents are invited to fill in the intake form and fax it to 6397 6701 or email to:info@thomsonpaeds.com
The information which you provide will be kept strictly confidential. Your permission will be sought if any disclosure of information is needed.
What is Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia is a learning disability in the area of motor skill development. There are three main types of dyspraxia: oral, verbal and motor. A person can have one, two or all the three types of dyspraxia. Dyspraxia affects daily functioning in many ways. For example, drooling, poor speech articulation, poor handwriting, frequent falls, difficulty with fastening buttons and using scissors.
Signs of Verbal Dyspraxia
• Delay in using spoken language
• Spoken language is difficult to understand
• High tendency to simplify words by removing the second part of words (e.g. “bot” for “bottle”)
• Search for movements of the tongue and lips as he/she is trying to find the right position to make a sound
• Use of gestures to a large extent to aid his/her communication skills
Signs of Motor Dyspraxia
• Difficulty learning new motor skills
• Difficulty balancing and poorly coordinated walking, hopping, skipping, throwing and catching ball or riding a bicycle
• Difficulty doing fine-motor tasks
• High tendency to bump into, fall over or drop objects
• Poor sense of direction
• Poor pencil grip which often results in illegible handwriting
Diagnosis and Treatment
Detecting Dyspraxia early is vital as it can affect many areas of functioning. The good news is, with timely diagnosis and interventions, treatment for Dyspraxia has been proven to be effective. Our child developmental specialists will together with the child and family to provide occupational, speech and physiotherapy.
Make an appointment
If you think your child has Dyspraxia, please call 6397 6627 for an appointment. To help us make the most of your appointment, parents are invited to fill in the intake form and fax it to 6397 6701 or email to:info@thomsonpaeds.com
The information which you provide will be kept strictly confidential. Your permission will be sought if any disclosure of information is needed.
What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
ASD is a condition that usually starts during the first three years of life. People with ASD display symptoms affecting communication, social interaction, have restricted interests and repetitive behaviours. The degree of severity varies from mild to severe. There is no single cause for autism. Some causes of autism link to genetic influence, prenatal virus exposure, brain development/structure and environmental impacts (e.g., environmental pollution or diet).
Signs of ASD
• Delayed speech and language skills
• Consistent repetition of words or phrases (i.e., echolalia)
• Persistent avoidance of eye-contact and preference for social isolation
• Difficulty understanding other people’s feelings
• Difficulty sustaining in a conversation
• Presence of obsessive, restricted interest(s)
• Easily upset by minor change(s) in a routine
• Unusual reactions to certain sounds, smells, tastes, textures or sights
• Odd repetitive body movements
Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis of ASD involves a team of child development specialists such as paediatrician, psychologists, psychiatrists and speech and language pathologist to rule out other underlying conditions that maybe the cause of communication and behavioural symptoms. Our psychologists’ uses standardised structured observations and detailed family history to diagnose ASD. Often our psychologists administer intellectual assessments for school placement.
Make an appointment
To make an appointment for an autism diagnostic assessment, please call 6397 6627. In order for us to understand your child better, parents are invited to fill in the intake form and fax it to 6397 6701 or email to:info@thomsonpaeds.com
The information which you provide will be kept strictly confidential. Your permission will be sought if any disclosure of information is needed.
