At RNBC, we treat children with issues that arise when a child faces challenges that are difficult to cope with. These problems often cause social, emotional, academic, and behavioral difficulties.
The challenges children face cannot be treated until they are properly identified. That is why the assessment services we provide at RNBC are so important.
Diagnoses We Typically Uncover
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, blurt things out, or act without regard for the consequences of their actions.
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Children with Autism have trouble relating to people or interacting with them, and may appear disinterested in other people. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder typically have language delays and can have limited language functioning, require alternative methods of communication, echo or repeat others, or repeat themselves several times. These children also often have a repertoire of ritualistic movements including 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 display these behaviors with varying degrees of severity. These particularly include children with normal-to-above-average intelligence who appear to lack social interest or not comprehend the feelings of others.
Language Disorders
A language disorder can include difficulties with understanding spoken language (receptive language) and being producing spoken language (expressive language). Both receptive and expressive language abilities are essential for effective and efficient communication with others. Persistent difficulties in the acquisition and use of language across modalities due to deficits in comprehension or production may include: reduced vocabulary, limited sentence structure, impairments in cohesion and discourse, and may impact participation, learning, socialization, and/or occupational performance in both individual and group contexts.
Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder
Deficits in the use of verbal and nonverbal communication can interfere with various types of interactions. Difficulties can include: greeting and sharing information in ways that are socially appropriate, the ability to change and match the context or needs of the listener, following the “rules” of conversation and storytelling (e.g., turn taking, recognizing and repairing communication breakdowns) making inferences, and understanding non-literal language (e.g., idioms, humor, metaphors, multiple meanings). Deficits in social communication may result in functional limitations, impacting participation, learning, socialization, and/or occupational performance in both individual and group contexts.
Specific Learning Disorder
A specific learning disorder includes delays in academic progress in reading, mathematics, and/or written expression. These delays can cause marked delays in academic performance across academic subjects. This disorder can function across a spectrum of academic abilities including foundational skills (phonological awareness, math computation, spelling), comprehension (reading comprehension, applied mathematics, essay writing), and fluency. This disorder has also been known as Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia.
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. The disorder often overlaps with ADHD, and children who have it are similarly forgetful, disorganized, or impulsive and may act or speak without thinking. Click here to learn more about executive function skills.
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.
