Characterization of school-related problems and diagnoses in a Neuro-Learning Disorder Clinic

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this study was to characterize the children referred to the Neuro-Learning Disorder Clinic at the Public Hospital of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (State University of Campinas) in 2010 focusing on the demographics, parents' concerns, and the diagnoses given by the health care professionals. A total of 203 male and female children and young people, aged 4-17 years old, attending kindergarten to high school were analyzed. The children that were referred due to school-related problems underwent interdisciplinary evaluations aiming to establish a diagnosis. After thorough evaluation, the children were treated according to their specific needs. The study sample was predominately comprised of males (67.0%), fifth graders with average age of 10 years and 11 months. The main problems identified were global learning difficulties and inattention. The evaluation results indicated 43.8% of pedagogy-related learning difficulties and 32.2% of intellectual disability issues. The findings corroborate those of other studies on the characterization of behavior and school-related problems of children and adolescents in specialized centers. The results obtained emphasize the importance of an interdisciplinary team work to evaluate school-related problems.