Questions about KinderMinds services:

 

1.  What are the costs of your services? 

 

Specific fees will be given during the initial phone conference.

 

2.  How are payments received?

 

All service fees are due in full at the time that the service is rendered (e.g., first testing session, office visit).  We accept cash, credit card or check.

 

3.  Are KinderMinds' services covered by insurance?

 

While we are not currently contracted with any insurance companies, we will provide you with the service codes that you may submit directly to your insurance company.

 

4.  What is my role during the testing session?

 

Parents accompany their child to the testing sessions.  The session will begin with the parents and the child present.  Once the testing has begun, parents may wait in the reception area or leave and return at the appointed time provided that a contact number is given.

 

5.  How do I explain my child's visit to my child?

 

Using a style and language that is appropriate for your child's age and maturity, you may tailor the following to suit your child: "Susie, you know that you have been working so hard in school, and yet ________ (reading, math, writing, etc.) is still kind-of hard.  We would like you to meet with someone who knows about how kids learn and know ways to make school work easier.  Would you like to find out ways to make school easier?  You will meet with her twice for about three to four hours.  During that time, you will do different activities.  Some of the activities will be like things you do in school and some will be more like games.  You can take breaks when you need them.  She has snacks and treats for you."

 

Questions about learning disabilities, assessment, and intervention:

 

1.  What is learning disability?

 

The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) issued the following definition in 1990:

Learning disabilities is a general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical skills.

These disorders are intrinsic to the individual, presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across the life span. Problems in self-regulatory behaviors, social perception, and social interaction may exist with learning disabilities but do not, by themselves, constitute a learning disability.

 

Although learning disabilities may occur concomitantly with other disabilities (e.g., sensory impairment, mental retardation, serious emotional disturbance), or with extrinsic influences (such as cultural differences, insufficient or inappropriate instruction), they are not the result of those conditions or influences.

 

2. How is a learning disability diagnosed?

 

In order to diagnose a learning disability, several criteria must be met.  First, a significant discrepancy between academic potential, as measured by an intelligence test, and academic achievement must be present.  In addition, deficiencies in specific processes involved in learning must also be observed.  Finally, the observed underachievement must not be due primarily to visual or auditory impairment, emotional disturbance, mental retardation, or environmental disadvantage.  A learning disability should be diagnosed only by a learning disabilities diagnostician or psychologist who has received extensive training in test administration and interpretation. 

 

3.  What is "dyslexia"?

 

Dr. Reid Lyon (National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development), Drs. Sally and Bennett Shaywitz (Yale University School of Medicine), and other members of The International Dyslexia Association have issued the following updated definition of dyslexia (2003):

 

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin.  It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.  These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction.  Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. 

 

4.  How is AD/HD related to learning disabilities?

 

While Attention Deficit Disorder (with or without Hyperactivity) is not considered a learning disability according to the current definition, attention problems certainly may interfere with learning and many individuals with attention difficulties also have learning disabilities.  Various studies estimate that between 15-50% of individuals who have ADD also have co-occurring learning disabilities.

 

5.  What type of intervention is most appropriate for the treatment of most learning disabilities?

 

Although the nature of the intervention may vary according to a child's unique learning needs and should be determined on an individual case basis, some generalizations may be given.  Best practices in the field have shown that research-based, systematic, and multisensory (involving the presentation of information simultaneously through visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic channels) approaches yield the best results.  Further, while the teaching method is important, the teacher's knowledge base and expertise are even more critical.  For further information, please visit www.imslec.org or www.ldonline.com (search keyword: MSSL).