Learning Problems: articles on this topic

Trouble with school or uni work?

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

You may be the kind of person who has always had problems with school work, whether it be difficulty concentrating in class, reading and writing problems or troubles with written expression. This may be attributable to a particular medical problem that you are aware of, or you may never have needed to have it investigated as you always “got by”.

Often these problems become more apparent in Year 11 and 12, or when a person has commenced University studies due to the challenges of such study. If you have a problem that can be diagnosed such as cognitive deficits relating to a past brain injury or other neurological problem, ADHD, or a learning difficulty (such as a reading, spelling or maths disorder), you may be eligible for concessions to assist with your studies. This can include help such as a scribe or reader during exams, extra time to complete assignments and/or exams or ongoing assistance from a Disability Support Officer.

Neuropsychological assessment will assess areas such as IQ, reading/spelling/maths skills, attention, processing speed and memory to determine if you have a specific cognitive problem that may indicate one of the above diagnosable disorders. Of course, the assessment may find that you have a weakness in some area but not a diagnosable problem, and the focus will then be on identification of strengths and finding ways of getting around the cognitive weaknesses you have.

Please note Ms Lucas only sees people who are aged 16 and over.

Posted in Advice, Brain Injury, Learning Problems

What is neuropsychological assessment?

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

Neuropsychological assessment is the detailed examination of cognitive skills (such as memory, attention, processing speed and problem solving), in order to examine brain-behaviour relationships.

The assessment involves paper and pencil type tests, as well as practical problem solving tests and the answering of questions. There are often some questionnaires to complete also. The tests used are standardised (i.e. given to a sample of people without brain impairment to provide a comparison) and well researched. None of the tests are physically invasive. Generally, assessments take between 3 and 5 hours (including interview and rest breaks), depending on the purpose of the assessment.

Skills assessed often include:

  • Intelligence (IQ)
  • Memory
  • Attention/concentration
  • Thinking speed
  • Spatial skills
  • Language
  • Higher level executive functions (e.g. problem solving, planning, reasoning)
  • Emotional/psychological functioning
  • Academic skills (e.g. reading, spelling, maths)

After completing the tests, the individual’s test scores are then compared to people of similar age and background in order to determine whether there are any cognitive problems, and how severe they may be. The pattern of results across tests are then analysed and combined with background information about educational, occupational, social and medical history to either exclude or diagnose brain-related medical disorders and/or explain the consequences of such a disorder.

Posted in Brain Injury, Dementia, FAQ, Learning Problems, Rehabilitation