At Rush NeuroBehavioral Center, we treat children with brain-based issues that arise when a child has trouble processing certain kinds of information or because of the way a child’s brain works. These problems can cause social, emotional, academic, and behavioral difficulties.

Sometimes a child is so good at using other skills to make up for a deficit that it can be hard to determine exactly where the problem lies. Sometimes the original condition is masked by the conditions it causes. For example, children with learning difference may suffer from secondary problems such as decreased self-esteem, anxiety, or depression.

And some behaviors that seem similar may have a variety of different causes. Is a child a poor reader because:

• The brain simply cannot see the lower half of the right side of a page?
• The child has an inability to focus attention?
• The child has trouble processing the sounds of letters and words?

The challenge a child faces cannot be treated until it is identified. That is why the assessments we do at RNBC matter so much.

Here are some of the challenges children face that we frequently uncover in the assessment process:

Language-Based Learning Disability

Children with Language-Based Learning Disability have difficulty processing oral or written language. They might have a hard time reading, writing or spelling. Dyslexia, which occurs when a child has trouble processing the sounds that make up words, is only one of several kinds of language-based learning problems.

Visual-Spatial Learning Disability

Some children have trouble processing information that they see. Their vision may be perfect, but the brain fails to register or to organize the information about faces, places, or objects that it receives. Some of these children may seem clumsy or disorganized: much of what other people notice may be virtually invisible to them.

Nonverbal Learning Disability

Along with visual-spatial processing problems, children with NLD have trouble understanding social information that is conveyed by a glance, gesture or facial expression. Such nonverbal communication accounts for 75% of all the information people exchange. These children care about other people and want to have friends, but have a hard time fitting in. They can’t tell by looking at a person’s face when he or she is joking, annoyed, or upset. Often this disability causes a child to be depressed or anxious.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

A child with ADHD has a constellation of problems that can interfere with completing tasks, managing time, and interacting socially. These can include inattention, impulsiveness, distractibility, and a
lack of behavioral inhibition. Such children can seem dreamy, or blurt things out, or act without regard for the consequences of their actions.

Executive Function Disorder

The skills that allow a person to think out a plan and carry it through are diminished when a child has an executive function problem. Executive functions include planning, organization, mental flexibility, focused attention, and self-monitoring (“Am I doing what I need to be doing?”). The disorder often overlaps with ADHD, and children who have it are similarly forgetful, disorganized, or impulsive and may act or speak without thinking.

Tourette’s Syndrome

Tourette’s syndrome is a movement disorder characterized by physical and vocal tics—a child may repeat a word or string of words or make a meaningless movement or gesture repeatedly. Additionally, many children with Tourette’s may have other neurobehavioral issues as well. These can include ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, behavior regulation problems, or learning difficulties.

Asperger’s Syndrome

Children who have some social behaviors characteristic of Autism, but possess early language skills, may have Asperger’s Syndrome. Behaviors associated with Asperger’s, such as obsessive interest in a particular subject or topic, the habit of carrying on long monologues on a favorite topic without noticing or caring whether the listener is interested, and a lack of ability to read non-verbal cues, can lead to social difficulties.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with Autism are known to have trouble relating to people or interacting with them, and may appear uninterested in other people altogether. Autistic children typically have language delays. Often an autistic child will have a repertoire of ritualistic movements—arm-flapping, body-rocking, or shifting weight from foot to foot. This is called stereotypic behavior and is usually made worse when a child is tired or under stress.

The term Autism Spectrum was developed because many children show these behaviors with varying degrees of severity. These particularly include children with normal-to-above-average intelligence, who may appear to lack social interest or not understand the feelings of others.