Definitions
My son is 9 years old and during the year he was assessed at school by a teacher who conducts assessments. After the assessment, she told me that my son suffers from problems in short-term memory. What does this mean?
There are certain types of memory. Short-term memory is immediate memory for topics that are occurring or are being learned currently. In order to receive an exact assessment in this topic it's recommended to conduct a full and detailed assessment.
For approximately a year and a half I've been learning a foreign language at a private learning center in a small group. My knowledge of the language at the beginning was practically nothing. Now, I'm fluent in vocabulary, ability to read and write, but my big problem is speaking. Will I be able to overcome the speaking problem, or do I need to look for something else?
From what you've written, it's not clear if you've been assessed at some point in the past. We advise you to conduct an assessment that will include a check of ability to learn this foreign language. On a treatment level, the best way is to practice a lot of speaking and being exposed to the language. It's advisable to make use of special teachers who learned remedial instruction methods in this language.
Are there children who are just a little bit slower and a little bit less intelligent cognitively than others? Could it be that in a group of children there is a percentage of the children who don't progress and don't understand like everyone else, even if you explain to them several times in different ways, and this is without any disability? Does every child who has difficulty with the learning material need to have an assessment or maybe he's just weak without any reason?
What you say is in fact so. Not every difficulty in learning is necessarily a disability and not every difficulty requires an assessment. We recommend an assessment in cases where there is a significant gap between performance in different academic subjects and/or in performance in general, or when the child doesn't take advantage of his potential, in other words, when there is a clear sense that the child is functioning at a significantly lower level than his abilities. In cases like these, we recommend to conduct an assessment in order to make a differential diagnosis if there is a learning disability and to recommend intervention methods.
Since my daughter, who is 9 years old, has had difficulty reading and writing, many different explanations have been suggested, for example: ADHD, learning disabilities, etc. After a long journey of investigating for two years between evaluations at different centers, neurologists, psychologists, etc., the conclusion was that she doesn't suffer from ADHD, but from a learning disability. The recommended treatment was to use personally suited learning strategies. My question is what learning strategies are available? Once the strategy is decided, will it be offered only privately? At the Nitzan Center? Is the school supposed to use learning strategies that are appropriate for her?
Based on your comments, it seems worthwhile to return to the evaluator who assessed your daughter in order for him to explain his recommendations. As a rule, with learning strategies, the intention is to learn ways to bypass the specific difficulties of your daughter. For this, you should go to a remedial education teacher who can help her acquire the strategies. Remedial education teachers can be found privately or at the Nitzan branch closet to your place of residence. The list of branches appears on Nitzan's website. According to the different issues the school must take into consideration, the school frequently assists in individually suited learning with small groups and even with individual remedial instruction. It's recommended to refer to the school counselor regarding this topic with the results of the assessment.
My son is eight and a half years old and is entering the 3rd grade. In the middle of 1st grade he began to have problems with reading when the assessor at Nitzan told me that the "Litph" learning method is not appropriate for him. He's already been treated for a year by a remedial education teacher and there is a big difference, but there are still words that he gets stuck/has trouble reading. There are times where he guesses or reads too fast and then makes mistakes, and the moment he slows down or concentrates more he reads the words well. Sometimes, he switches between letters. Is it a good idea to take him for an assessment once again at Nitzan? He took one a year and a half ago.
It's a good idea to consult with the remedial education teacher he works with. Has she run out of ideas, or does she think that the child needs more time? A repeat evaluation should be done if he's not progressing and is running in place.
I would like to know more about the phenomenon called "split attention".
This refers to the ability to divide one's attention and to react simultaneously to a number of different stimuli. Similarly, split attention is done automatically, unlike others who must focus on a particular subject and ignore other stimuli, which are irrelevant, at the same time.
My daughter is 16 years old, finished 11th grade, and began to have difficulty with her studies starting just last year. Until now, she didn't have a problem with her studies except for the project that was "tough". Is it reasonable to worry that she may have problems with memory or dyslexia?
Learning disabilities are revealed at different stages throughout the life cycle, such that even if your daughter hasn't been assessed until now, it's likely that an assessment is necessary in order to diagnose the specific difficulties and to help her. It recommended to consult with the school staff, for example: teachers, counselor, etc... The staff at Nitzan will gladly answer your questions by phone.
My son is eight and a half years old. From a very young age, he's avoided physical activity, doesn't participate at all in gym class at school, and similarly is easily stressed and insulted by teachers at school even when there isn't an apparent reason. He is very knowledgeable in English, but his grades do not reflect his knowledge. In class, it's difficult for him to concentrate. Is this a learning disability? ADHD? It's important to note that he is very intelligent for his age. Should he be taken for some sort of assessment, and if so, then which?
From your description, it's certainly likely that there is some sort of learning difficulty. It's important to note that at times there are learning difficulties or difficulties with attention span and concentration or sensual difficulties together with very high intellectual abilities. We recommend that you consult with an expert in the field of learning disabilities. At Nitzan, we offer consultation and guidance and when needed, assessments, and continued treatment.
Is stress from being on time or taking a test considered a learning disability? When taking certain tests, I get very stressed and don't manage to answer all of the questions on the test because the moment I start a certain question, I'm anxious that I won't finish the other questions, and it turns out that I start questions then jump to others without finishing. How can I solve this problem?
Occasionally, not being on time, or slow functioning is caused by a learning disability who's source is in the mechanism that is the foundation of reading and/or writing and/or performing math problems. Slowness or confusion can result from difficulties in concentration. Sometimes, this can be a caused by emotional factors. In general, it's difficult to diagnose without an assessment. When one is assessed, if it is likely that the problem is caused by a disability, then accommodations can be received. One of the accommodations given is added time on exams. You can be in touch with us to consult regarding the necessity of an assessment.
My nine-year-old son was recently assessed. Treatment recommendations were given. My question is what is the length of treatment necessary and is it possible to overcome the learning problems?
It's not possible to estimate the length of remedial instruction or treatment. Each case is individual. It should be noted that in order to achieve results, work with an expert in remedial instruction is necessary, twice a week without any extended breaks. Research literature claims that learning disabilities do not disappear however with the help of effective remedial instruction it's possible to learn to overcome the difficulties and to bypass the disability.