Children with learning disorders oftentimes receive feedback that the ways in which they see the world are different and wrong. Thus, they are at higher risk for developing psychopathology. A wide body of research supports that children with learning disorders are more likely than peers without learning disorders to develop anxiety and depression. They are at higher risk of developing inadequate coping strategies as well as low self-concept. Co-occurring ADHD and social problems are associated with even poorer psychosocial outcomes.

Many people assume that psychopathology is caused by the challenges faced by children with learning disorders in their classrooms each day. However, it is my impression that these symptoms of anxiety and depression are central to, rather than byproducts of, learning disorders. In fact, a recent article that I published in the peer-reviewed journal Developmental Science called “Amygdala sub-regional functional connectivity predicts anxiety in children with reading disorder” suggests that there is a common circuit in the brain that underlies both reading difficulty and anxiety. (You can learn more about that here.) Others have shown similar findings in studies of math and writing problems, as well as of depressive symptomatology.

Since cognitive and emotional systems are inextricably linked in the brain, learning disorders require both psychological evaluation and treatment. In treatment, the student realizes that I understand how he or she sees the world. This experience helps the student feel accepted and valued.

Cognitive abilities are brain-based skills, supported by specific neural networks or circuits, that we need to carry out various tasks. It is well established that deficits in various cognitive abilities can lead to academic underperformance. A single cognitive deficit may cause delays in academic skills acquisition across several content areas.

Some cognitive skills that are important for learning are:

• Fluid reasoning (i.e. ability to form concepts and solve novel problems)

• Working memory (i.e. ability to hold information in mind and manipulate it)

• Processing speed (i.e. ability to perform tasks quickly and accurately)

• Attention and executive functioning (e.g. inhibition of automatic responses, self-monitoring, self-regulation, planning, organization)

• Language (e.g. word finding, rapid naming, following directions, articulation, phonological processing, idea generation)

• Memory and learning (e.g. list learning, memory for designs, face recognition, story memory)

• Sensorimotor (e.g. finger dexterity, motor speed, graphomotor speed and accuracy)

• Social perception (e.g. affect recognition, comprehension of others’ perspectives, intentions, and beliefs)

• Visuospatial processing (e.g. judging line orientation, visuomotor/constructional ability, design copying, solving patterns and puzzles, route finding)

Though many people believe that cognitive abilities are innate, fixed, and unchanging, in fact, they can be trained and improved with cognitive remediation therapy. Cognitive remediation seeks to reduce cognitive deficits by improving skills that are weak and by developing strength-based compensatory strategies. Cognitive remediation has been shown to benefit children with learning disorders and related problems.

Through working on homework assignments in session, I help children improve cognitive skills and problem-solving strategies that help them achieve success in school. Since treatment is skill-based rather than content-based, there is a greater likelihood that these skills will generalize to other situations at a later date.

It is important to provide all students with targeted and specialized instruction when learning difficulty is identified. The best interventions include both direct instruction designed to enhance academic achievement and instruction in learning strategies that enhance students’ ability to retain and apply knowledge across multiple contexts.

Characteristics of effective instruction include:

• Direct, explicit, and systematic instruction of academic content

• Instruction in self-monitoring

• Opportunities for practice

• Continuous monitoring of performance

• Ongoing provision of feedback

Research supports that skill improvement correlates with treatment intensity, such that the most intense treatments yield the best results. One important way to conceptualize treatment intensity is the opportunity for student response and frequency and immediacy of corrective feedback. Generally, high intensity is found in the context of small group or one-on-one tutoring interventions. When instruction is provided one-on-one, the student has more opportunities to practice newly acquired skills, and the tutor can regularly evaluate progress. Furthermore, tutoring has been shown to produce significant improvements both in terms of academic skills and attitudes about learning, as tutoring provides unique opportunities for modifications in the structure, sequencing, and pacing of instruction.

Oftentimes, children with learning disorders need information to be presented in a different way than it is in the classroom. I have specialized training and expertise in pedagogical theory, teaching strategies, and contextual factors that affect learning which allows me to differentiate instruction and meet students’ individualized needs. I take the student’s neuropsychological profile into account in order to present information in a way that capitalizes on the student’s strengths. The responsibility shifts: It is no longer the student’s job to learn the information, but instead, it is my job to make it understandable.

It is difficult for parents to understand the nature of their children’s behavior, especially when their children have learning disorders, and at times, it seems as if children with learning disorders would succeed if they just tried harder. When a child fails to succeed in school, parents feel frustrated and inadequate. I work with parents to help them support their children’s interests and talents, create effective structures and routines, and nurture environments at home that support learning.

It is a common experience for teachers to receive neuropsychological evaluations documenting and describing students’ learning disorders without having those evaluations fully explained. I collaborate with teachers and related professionals in order to translate those evaluations into meaningful educational practice.

Accommodations can be made in school to allow children with learning disorders to demonstrate their knowledge and skills at the same level as children without learning disorders. I collaborate with schools and families to create the most appropriate program of supports for children with learning disorders to level the playing field and provide equal access to educational attainment.