Learning Disabilities:

A learning disability is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding and using language spoken or written which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, spell, or do mathematical calculations. Having a learning disability means that your brain processes information differently than most other students.

Having a learning disability causes a discrepancy between your ability and your achievement. This means that your child may be a lot smarter than he/she performs in school.

A learning disability can affect: Basic Reading; Reading Comprehension; Math Calculation; Math Reasoning; Written Expression; Oral Expression and Listening Comprehension.

Dyslexia is the term used when children have difficulty learning to read. Dyslexia is the most common learning disability. Most children with dyslexia have trouble recognizing the basic sounds of speech, thus have trouble sounding out words. Consequently, the meaning of the word is often lost which can result in poor reading comprehension. Trouble with spelling is often found as well, since the ability to form words in writing is closely related to the same processes found in reading.

Dysgraphia is the term used when children have difficulty with writing. This may include difficulty with composition, theme development, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation.

Dyscalculia is the term used when children have difficulty with mathematics. This often includes difficulty adding, subtracting, understanding concepts and procedures.
At Optimal Psychological Services, Inc. we provide early detection of learning difficulties in order for the child to receive appropriate remediation. Children present with difficulty in preschool and kindergarten and often appear to have difficulty pronouncing words, understanding rhyming words, difficulty counting and reversing letters when writing.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
At Optimal Psychological Services, Inc. we also provide evaluation of ADHD. It is estimated that somewhere between 2% and 10% of the population is experiencing some form of attention deficit disorder (AD/HD). But since the condition involves behavioral characteristics which can range from very mild to extremely severe, many undiagnosed students may exhibit behaviors very similar to those of students who are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.

Children with ADHD present with various symptoms such as being inattentive, making careless mistakes, forgetting instructions, being disorganized and having trouble concentrating.

Other children present with restlessness, fidgetiness, are constantly on the go and tend to be involved in several tasks at once. Although, they may have the ability to pay attention in some instances, they often have difficulty doing so when it is necessary or required, e.g. at school or church. These problems sometimes lead to a number of other consequences, such as poor peer relationships, poor teacher relationships, and suspensions from school, among others.

The assessment involves an evaluation of developmental history, cognitive (IQ) functioning, behavior analysis and social/emotional functioning. Other disorders such as Bipolar disorder and anxiety often present with similar symptoms as ADHD and may need to be ruled out by the evaluation. Recommendations for treatment at home and school are provided.
When a child is diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder, often one of the most difficult decisions is whether or not to treat the condition with medication. The potential side effects of medication can include loss of appetitive, sleep disturbance, and very rarely 'tics'. There have been some (extremely few) cases in which children developed 'tics' after initiating medication and later were diagnosed with Tourette's Disorder.
As an alternative to medication for the children who do not respond with their prescribed regimen, Optimal Psychological Services, Inc. provides Neurofeedback and Biofeedback training. Please see our Biofeedback/Neurofeedback link for more information.