Regarding psychological intervention applied to improving people’s well-being, the sooner the problem to be treated is detected, the better. And this is probably more true than ever in the case of the youngest, who are going through a stage that, in many ways, will condition their development into adulthood.
And childhood is a phase of life full of possibilities, and also full of potential vulnerabilities. Poor learning of language skills, for example, can hinder the child’s chances in his or her social and work life throughout life. The same goes for all the psychological abilities involved in performance in school.
That’s why, the diagnosis of learning disorders during childhood and adolescence is crucial ; Not for nothing is it an area in which many psychologists specialize.
In a way, childhood shapes a good part of our room for maneuver when it comes to developing personally and professionally. It is clear that we can all change to some extent at any age (there is a reason our brain is able to adapt to many of the challenges of the environment throughout life), but we are especially sensitive to what happens to us during the first years of life, for better and for worse.
Thus, spending the years of schooling having to live unassisted with the effects of a learning disorder It is a very frustrating experience, which on the one hand keeps the boy or girl without the opportunity to learn many contents that will serve him or her as an adult, and on the other hand generates a feeling of frustration and boredom during class and study hours, which feeds the negative effects of the disorder.
The problem is that this type of disorder can take many forms, and most are difficult to recognize at first glance by those who do not have experience in the field of psychology. What’s more, sometimes the child is criticized and blamed for the lack of progress in school, something that aggravates the situation. But even in the best of cases, a learning disorder that is not professionally treated will not prevent the person from becoming an adult with a good quality of life, but it will help them go much less far than they could have gone if they had detect the problem in time.
And it is that phenomena such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, dyslexia or dyscalculia They can make a young person believe that this is their real limit, that they will never be able to concentrate enough to do something useful with their life, or that they will never be able to learn in depth all the wisdom contained in books. These kinds of beliefs are not only a reflection of the problem in school days; Furthermore, they mark and erode self-esteem in a very harmful way.
What to do to be safe?
The best way to ensure that there is no psychological alteration that hinders a child’s ability to learn is to go to psychotherapy professionals when signs that something is wrong are detected.
In some cases, it may be a false alarm and there is no learning disorder, but even in situations like this it is good to have the help of psychologists, since we are specialized in also recognizing non-pathological but limiting phenomena, such as lack of motivation at school or identification with those who despise studies simply because they want to be part of a group.
In other cases, there will be a learning disorder based partially on biological predispositions (not necessarily genetic) that, with work in child and adolescent therapy sessions, can cause many fewer problems. The key in these cases is knowing how to identify exactly what is slowing down the child’s learning rate and from there offer personalized “training” to compensate for these difficulties and reinforce other virtues of the child, so that he or she uses new ways to learn and does not fall again and again into paralyzing frustration.
To do this, of course, it is necessary to have the experience and the necessary instruments to make a diagnosis of learning disorders. For example, In our psychology center located in Barcelona, ​​Psicotools, we carry out this symptom detection based on both psychology and neuropsychology, from which complementary diagnostic tests are carried out and from which well-defined and effective re-education programs can be promoted. If you are interested in contacting us, you will see our contact information by clicking here.
