Diagnosis and cognitive stimulation to improve learning

LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

According to DSM-IV, learning difficulties are diagnosed when the individual’s performance in reading, calculus, or written expression is substantially lower than expected by age, schooling, and intelligence level. These difficulties significantly interfere with academic performance or activities of daily living that require these competencies. The DSM-V manual has now been published, so both manuals will be mentioned.

ATTENTION DEFICIT WITH/WITHOUT HYPERACTIVITY

What is it?

Difficulty that leads to a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity, more frequent and pronounced than that usually observed in children their age.

How to detect it?

• Not paying enough attention to details.
• To make mistakes through carelessness.
• Neglecting the tasks carried out (typing, not maintaining spaces when writing…).
• Difficulty maintaining attention.
• Constantly change activity without finishing any.
• They do not follow instructions or orders.
• Is easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli and frequently interrupts tasks being performed to attend to noises or trivial events that would normally be ignored without problems.

Since my son has started Creative Pedagogy sessions, he remembers to write down homework and is not distracted by doing it.”.
Marcos’ mother.

In the case of having hyperactivity associated…

• You have difficulty regulating your behaviour.
• It acts impulsively.
• It lacks self-control and reflection.
• Responds abruptly.
• Interrupts constantly.
• They are unable to wait their turn.
• Violates established rules.
• Have excessive body activity.

I’m learning to count to 3 before answering so I don’t make a mistake”.
Xavi, 8 years old.

DISCALCULIA

What is it?

The child has difficulty in the numerical area regardless of cognitive ability that is characterized by:

• Difficulty in learning digits.
• Problems to assimilate numerical signs, using them erroneously.
• Difficulties to count mentally and make simple calculations.
• Correspondence between the concrete and the abstract.
• Problems in the graphism of numbers and signs.
• Difficulty understanding and remembering concepts, rules, formulas, mathematical sequences (order of operations).
• Difficulty in mathematical mechanisms and in arithmetic comprehension operations and activities.

I got a 7.5 in my last math exam…all thanks to Creative Pedagogy!”.
Lucía, 11 years old.

DEMOTIVATION IN THE FACE OF STUDY THAT GENERATES DISORGANIZATION

What is it?

We speak of lack of motivation in studies, when we find boys or girls without problems in their cognitive abilities, but who present repeated suspense or low grades, along with a generalized disinterest in the school environment.

It is characterized by:

• Disinterest in some or all subjects.
• Constant forgetfulness or loss of material.
• Does not usually carry out activities.
• Disorganized notes and notebooks.
• Neglected material.

With the help of Creative Pedagogy, we will be able to go to the University”
Paco and Edu, 20 and 20 years old.

DISLEXIA

What is it?

Se presenta en niños/as que tienen dificultad en las habilidades asociadas a la lectura y escritura, que se caracteriza por:

• Inversion of syllables.
• Confusion of letters.
• Confusion of words with visual or phonetic resemblance.
• Omission of syllables and words.
• Lack of sound awareness.
• Exchange of words of the same semantic field.
• No differentiation of sounds.
• Union of words.
• No attention to punctuation marks.

Every day I do the activities that help me to write better in the exams”.
Carlos, 16 years old.

GENERALIZED DEVELOP MENTAL DELAY

What is it?

We speak of a generalized developmental disorder or TGD when there are qualitative alterations in social interactions, in the cognitive area and in communication.

In relation to TGD, they are also found:

• Other degenerative disorders of childhood.
• Hyperkinetic disorders with mental retardation and stereotyped movements.
• Asperger syndrome.
• Other pervasive developmental disorders.
• Pervasive developmental disorder not specified.
• Infantile autism.
• Atypical Autism
• Rett syndrome

Claudia had difficulties with school subjects and her social relationships. We have seen progress thanks to our work together with Creative Pedagogy”. 
Marta, Claudia’s mother.

DIFFICULTIES IN THE PSYCHOMOTOR AREA

What is it?

At each stage of development, children acquire different psychomotor skills that are fundamental to their relationship with their environment. When a child does not acquire these skills appropriate to his age, we can talk about difficulties in the psychomotor area that may be caused by various causes, so for their diagnosis and subsequent intervention is essential a complete and profound pedagogical examination.

The most common psychomotor difficulties are:

• Postural control.
• Hypotonia (Low muscle tone).
• Hypertonia (High muscle tone).
• Psychomotor instability.

DYSGRAPHIA

What is it?

Difficulties for the writer’s gesture and/or written expression.

It is characterized by:

• Understand inadequate posture.
• Incorrect support of the instrument (pencil, pen, etc.).
• Bad writing pressure.
• Excessively fast or slow writing speed.
• Large letter size.
• Inclined or deformed letters.
• Excessive spacing between letters or very crowded.
• Improper links between graphemes.
• Unrecognizable letters.

DIFFICULTY IN RESPECTING RULES AND INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR.

What is it?

Children who present personal-emotional maladjustments that are reflected in the non-respect of the norms and the alteration of the conduct in a frequent way, directly affecting the family, school environment, etc…

The most characteristic behaviours that can be developed are:

• Lack of hygiene, or quite the opposite, excessive perfectionism, self-demanding in reference to the rest, etc.
• Isolation.
• Denial.
• Passionism.
• Opposition.
• Verbal and/or physical aggressiveness.

When we were kids, it was difficult for us to organize a lot, but thanks to Creative Pedagogy we have managed to approve everything and we are in college”.
Marc and Andrea, 21 and 20 years old.

DISLALIA (ALTERATIONS OF THE LANGUAGE AREA)

What is it?

These are children with difficulty articulating phonemes due to functional alterations of the peripheral organs of speech (lips, tongue, veil of the palate). This is an inability to pronounce or correctly form certain phonemes or groups of phonemes.

It is characterized by:

• They omit certain sounds.
• Substitutes sounds for others incorrectly.
• Can pronounce syllables correctly separately but makes mistakes when joining phonemes.
• Changes the order of the phonemes.