Archive for the Educational Psychologist Category

How is ADHD / ADD diagnosed?

By on December 22, 2011

    How is ADHD diagnosed?

    The majority of my referrals come from teachers, suspecting that a child in their class suffers from ADHD / ADD. And although teachers are not qualified to make this diagnosis, I have to honestly admit that 90% of the time they are right on the money.  So, heed the teacher’s call. Chances are that she’s not just trying to make your child’s life difficult or that she dislikes your child, but that her concern is genuine.  Trust that she has enough experience and know-how to be able to recognize the tell-tale signs such as distractability, impulsiveness and difficulty in maintaining focused attention.

    Parents also often approach me saying that a GP or Psychiatrist has diagnosed their child as suffering from ADHD. The method of diagnosis used is usually a short interview with the child and a questionnaire completed by both the parents and the child’s teachers.  Now, although these are recognized methods of diagnosis for ADHD / ADD, I’m not entirely comfortable with using them on their own.  I would rather have the child seen to by a Neurologist who will take an EEG (Electroencephalogram) recording of the overall brain activity and analyse the data to try and detect abnormalities in the brain function.  The Neurologist will often insist on a full psycho-educational report from an Educational Psychologist.  The reason for this is to eliminate any other causes of distractability or poor academic performance, such as low IQ, poor self-esteem or learning difficulties.  In other words, during the assessment the Educational Psychologist will screen for everything other than ADHD / ADD while at the same time noting typical ADHD / ADD behaviour such as a lack of focused attention, being easily distracted, impulsively answering questions, difficulty sitting still, continuous yawning and /or continuous fidgeting.

    If you suspect that your child might be suffering from ADHD / ADD, I would suggest that you:

    1. Start by chatting to his / her teacher.  If the teacher expresses similar concerns …
    2. Take your child for a full psycho-educational assessment with an Educational Psychologist, who will (if he or she also suspects ADHD / ADD) …
    3. Refer you to a Peadiatric Neurologist, who will analyse the data from an EEG to confirm or refute the diagnosis.
    This entry is filed under ADHD, Assessments, Barriers to Learning, Education, Educational Psychologist and tagged , .

    The difference between Clinical, Counselling and Educational Psychology

    By on December 20, 2011

      The difference between Clinical, Counselling, and Educational Psychology:

      For most parents, finding a psychologist to send their child to is a pretty daunting task.  This is often complicated even further by the lack of knowledge around the different disciplines and the apparent cross over between the services offered by each.

      Who does what? And how do you know where to send your child?  I often get asked the following questions: Do Educational psychologists only deal with Educational matters?  Many Clinical psychologists work with children – do they do the same thing as an Educational Psychologist?  What is the difference between a Counselor, a Psychologist and a Counseling Psychologist?

      This entry is filed under Assessments, Barriers to Learning, Behavioural Difficulties, Early Childhood Development, Education, Educational Psychologist, Emotional Development, Social Development, Therapy and tagged .

      Childpsych now serving South Africa

      By on December 12, 2011

        Childpsych now serving South Africa.

        Since it’s inception the Childpsych website has been receiving enquiries from all over the country. To better serve all South Africans I’ve decided to partner up with other educational psychologists around the country.

        The website’s new aim will now be to become the single best resource in South Africa for information on educational psychology.

        This entry is filed under Educational Psychologist, Newsletter and tagged .

        Practicing as an Educational Psychologist in South Africa

        By on October 24, 2011

          The requirements for practicing as a psychologist in South Africa are:

          • A Master’s degree in Psychology
          • a completed internship in the required field of practice
          • successful completion of  the board exam set by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

          The Professional Board for Psychology of the HPCSA has compiled an Ethical Code of Professional Conduct to which all psychologists are expected to adhere.  In adhering to this code psychologists are committed to increasing knowledge of human behaviour and of people’s understanding of themselves and others, and to the utilization of such knowledge for the promotion of human welfare.

          Psychologists are guided by the following ethical principles in the pursuit of these ideals:

          • Competence
          • Integrity
          • Professional and Scientific Responsibility
          • Respect for people’s human rights and dignity
          • Concern for others’ well-being
          • Social Responsibility
          This entry is filed under Educational Psychologist and tagged , .

          What does an Educational Psychologist do?

          By on October 24, 2011

            The Health Professions Council of South Africa defines the role as follows: An Educational Psychologist assesses, diagnoses and intervenes to facilitate adjustment and development of children and adolescents in the context of family, school, peer groups or communities.

            This entry is filed under Educational Psychologist and tagged .