Wednesday, August 18, 1999
Talk to the professionals
BY SUE MacDONALD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Some of the professionals involved in testing and identifying children who might have learning, behavioral or emotional problems include:
• School psychologist: A psychologist employed by or hired by a school district to screen children for educational, behavioral and psychological problems. Services are usually provided free by the school district, but depending on caseload, children can wait weeks or months before testing, evaluations and treatment plans are done.
• Child/educational psychologist: Private psychologist who specializes in the emotional/psychological problems of children and teens. A psychologist can screen for learning problems and diagnose problems such as depression, anxiety disorder, personality disorders, etc. and recommend medicines, therapy, treatments.Insurance may cover some fees or tests.
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Educational consultant: Private specialist who will test, screen and observe the child and provide an evaluation and recommended plan of action to parents. Some consultants also provide tutoring, workshops, study skills classes, school placement advising and the like. Fees can vary from several hundred dollars to $1,000 or more. Insurance varies.
• Vision specialist: An optometrist or ophthalmologist who can test and screen a child's eyesight and vision — how the child perceives the world from visual clues, tracks items through space, coordinates visual information, balances and more. Some optometrists provide vision therapy for months or years to help children optimize their vision for learning, balance, hand-eye coordination, reading, sports and other activities. Insurance varies.
• Speech/language therapist: A certified speech-language specialist who can test a child's hearing and provide help for children who have speech/language problems, difficulty speaking, hearing impairments, deafness and other problems speaking, listening and hearing. Insurance varies.
• Sleep specialist: Doctor or other specialist who monitors sleep problems: insomnia, sleep apnea, excessive snoring, etc. Some scientists now link some attention deficit disorders with too little sleep or inadequate sleep. Sleep deprivation can cause ADD symptoms — hyperactivity, difficulty paying attention, distraction, lack of concentration. Treating sleep problems or getting a few more hours of sleep at night can improve a child's behavior and attention span. Insurance varies.
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