SERVICES

NEURODEVELOPMENT & LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

Just like any other part of development, brain development is essential for learning, behaviour and social performance. Knowing what neurodevelopment milestones to look out for in your child can assist you as parents in enhancing your little one's brain development and school performance. While there will be various learning hurdles to overcome during childhood, knowing what hurdles your child is facing at each age will allow you as parents to give your child all that he or she needs to reach these mile-stones.

Dr Mason will pay close attention to neurodevelopment during your visits and emphasises parental education during these consultations. While she will screen for various speech, hearing and vision problems, she will also assess development in terms of cognitive abilities or developmental delays and evaluate mental health.

To assist her in making an accurate diagnosis, parents are encouraged to discuss any problematic behaviour or learning-related issues that their child may be exhibiting. Since learning difficulties or neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, autism, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, OCD or epilepsy can have a profound effect on your child's academic performance, as well as social performance and even future relationships, it is essential that these issues are handled as soon as possible.

Issues that may be of concern include:

• Lack of empathy
• Irritability
• Frequent temper tantrums
• Difficulty concentrating
• Restlessness
• A tendency to interrupt
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Lack of enthusiasm for reading or writing
• Difficulty memorising
• Working at a slow pace
• Lack of attention to detail
• Difficulty reading or writing
• Problems with organisation, time planning, abstract reasoning, long or short term memory
• Recurrent headaches
• Seizures

While many parents dread receiving a diagnosis of such conditions, awareness can go a long way in managing these disorders. If she comes across an issue and suspects a neurodevelopmental or learning difficulty, Dr Mason may refer you to a specialist for diagnosis and treatment.