Interview with Miriam Vaz: how learning disabilities are treated

Psychologist Miriam Vaz explains how to help children with learning problems.

The first years of life are one of the most important stages in people's psychological development. On the one hand, this means that in childhood we are constantly learning even if we do not realize it; but it also means that in case of difficulties in internalizing certain knowledge, the situation can lead to major problems that accumulate and become noticeable in a short time.

Fortunately, the behavioral sciences have devised psychological and educational interventions designed for children with learning problems. In this case, we we interviewed an expert on the subject, Miriam Vaz.

Interview with Miriam Vaz: the intervention to learning disabilities in children

Miriam Vaz is a psychologist and the Director of Nanda Centerlocated in the city of Sabadell. In addition to her training in the field of psychology, she has a degree in special education, and has more than a decade of experience helping children with educational needs of different types. In this interview she explains how she works when treating children with learning disabilities.

From the point of view of educators working in schools, what are some of the most common warning signs they notice when dealing with children with learning disabilities?

Taking into account that each child is unique and different from the rest, not always the same type of signs are detected even being finally, the same disorder, but in general, some signs that help to be able to, at least, be aware of the small, would be the problems in working memory (which is used for immediate information, what someone just said, what has just been read); difficulties in applying the fundamental skills of reading, spelling, spelling and/or math; difficulties in understanding and following instructions; a tendency to forget school material; and even motor coordination problems when performing certain actions that require precision, such as using a pencil.

Sometimes their behavior may be disruptive or oppositional, and they may overreact both at school and at home to academic activities such as homework or reading.

Once it has been detected that a child needs specialized help beyond school, what should parents do?

When a learning difficulty is detected in a child, parental support is essential to improve the effectiveness of the learning process. This support can avoid possible emotional disorders, since sometimes parents can experience the situation as disappointing and/or frustrating and this will affect the children in terms of what they transmit to them, as well as the initial expectations that they have to adapt to the new situation, demanding things and tasks that are reasonable to their child's capacity and without pressuring him/her at any time.

Coordination between parents and teachers and teachers, as well as with the professional who treats the child is very important to address together and in the same direction the difficulties they have, always trying to follow the indications and guidelines of the professional.

Above all, I would like to convey peace of mind to parents, because although at first it may be frightening and shocking to detect a learning difficulty in our son or daughter, with professional and school help they are solved and the children manage to reach the necessary learning to lead a normal school life.

How long does it take, more or less, if a child's problem has to do with learning disorders and not, for example, with attitude problems or a simple tendency to disobey?

It is not always easy to detect this from the beginning, since learning problems often involve behavioral problems and vice versa, but even so, I believe it is very important to work on both, because once the children begin to focus and learn certain strategies and resources, everything will begin to settle and stabilize improving all aspects and in the different areas that affect them.

Therefore, it is essential to get feedback from both the families and the school to be able to gradually narrow down the profile of the child in order to offer a service as comprehensive and appropriate as possible that integrates all areas of their lives.

Regarding dyslexia, a relatively common disorder, how do you help these children?

Initially, an interview is done individually with the parents, without the child in front, as a history and extraction of all information that parents believe appropriate and basic that we know to start to get an idea of the child's problems and know where to start, as well as medical reports, school, etc. if any.

The second session is already with the child individually, and in it we explore everything we believe necessary to know him a little better, check their level of learning, know their strategies and resources, etc. and thus know where we have to start working and what areas are more priority, because regardless of whether you have one or another disorder, each person is different and unique and not everyone has the same difficulties or the same level.

Once this is done, we begin to work with the child, first addressing those areas and difficulties that we consider more limiting when it comes to developing and being able to follow their school learning, to gradually go concretizing and deepening more in the rest. After a few sessions is when we contact the teachers and the school to start working together as a triad: home-school-school-school.

What should be the role of parents throughout the therapy process?

Constant communication is basic and very important for the process to be successful, because if the child makes a great effort, the school does its part but the necessary help and attention is not given at home, one part will be lame and we will not be able to reach the desired goals and if they are achieved they will take much longer to be achieved.

Above all, it is important that they follow our instructions, as well as those of the school, in order to be able to carry out the therapy in a positive and more comfortable way for the child in question.

What are the signs of improvement and progress in the first weeks of treatment?

Improvement is not usually seen right away, everything has its time and process, although the truth is that if we all do our part (which in the center is basic for us), you can start to see it sooner.

But to venture to say a specific time would be risky, since each case, each child and each family is a world, and as such each one has its own personal process of progress, improvement and learning.

• Contact the psychologist Miriam Vaz comfortably through her professional profile at Centro Nanda.