Does your child find it difficult to cope with academic tasks? Struggling with school work can be disheartening for children and can have a negative impact on their social and emotional functioning. They may experience feelings of anxiety, suffer from low self-esteem, be prone to outbursts of anger, lose interest in school or show signs of social withdrawal. Early intervention is, therefore, of critical importance. It is often hard to know where to begin though. Notable difficulties at school can be the result of weaknesses in one or more areas of cognitive development (e.g. verbal reasoning, working memory, visuo-spatial processing) emotional issues or even more complex conditions like autism. Decisions on how to help your child should be based on a thorough understanding of all the factors that might be impinging upon his/her functioning. The first step in helping him/her is to refer him/her for a psychoeducational evaluation. A comprehensive evaluation will lead to clear understanding of his/her needs and will pinpoint the areas of desired change.

 

I offer  assessment services to English speaking school-aged children residing in Geneva and its neighbouring regions in order to help them gain insight as to whether they have a learning difficulty (e.g. dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia) or other weaknesses in areas of cognitive or emotional development that could be affecting their school work.  On the basis of  the results, I then design remediation programmes, fine-tuned to each child’s home environment and school situation.

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Testing Services

 

Tests administered include the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale, the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test as well as measures of attention, auditory processing, phonological awareness, working memory and reasoning skills. Screening measures of behavioural and emotional functioning are also administered when the child's history indicates the presence of behavioural/emotional problems (e.g. anxiety, low self-esteem) or other mental health issues (e.g. attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autistic spectrum disorder) that could be affecting negatively the quality of his/her school life.

 

Intervention Services

 

Following the evaluation, I meet with the child and his/her parents and submit a written report with recommendations regarding the intervention steps that need to be followed. If deemed appropriate, I make referrals to other professionals or community services and, if desired by the parents, I arrange to visit the child’s school, meet with his/her teachers and discuss  with them accommodations that could be provided in the classroom.