The "Learning Difficulty" outpatient clinic is booming during the summer vacation! Is "poor grades" a disease? Parents | Difficulties | Outpatient Clinic

The summer has arrived, and the peak of outpatient visits for "learning difficulties" is approaching. Guo Shijun found on the registration platform that the "Learning Difficulty" specialty clinic opened every Wednesday at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics shows that the appointment for next Wednesday is full; The "Learning Difficulty" outpatient clinic offered by Fudan University Affiliated Pediatric Hospital every Thursday shows that it has been fully booked for the next four weeks.

🔹 The specialized outpatient department for "learning difficulties" at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics shows that the source will be fully booked next Wednesday.

🔹 The "Learning Difficulty" outpatient department of Fudan University Affiliated Pediatric Hospital shows that the appointment for the next four weeks has been fully booked.

The popularity of "learning difficulties" outpatient clinics has also raised concerns among some parents: should my child's grades be taken for consultation? How to correctly determine whether a child needs medical intervention?

Correctly Understanding "Learning Difficulties"

Zhihu respondent @ Li Xixi went to the "Learning Difficulty" clinic in the local maternal and child health department. He originally thought that the child had reading difficulties, but it was determined that it was a lack of attention. "The doctor said that the child's intelligence can be improved through some sensory training first, and if not, medication can be taken."

According to the WeChat official account of the Department of Psychology of the Affiliated Pediatrics Hospital of Fudan University, learning difficulties are the result of children's poor learning status and poor performance caused by multiple factors. In addition to family education reasons, learning difficulties may be caused by various neurodevelopmental problems, emotional and psychological disorders, cultural and environmental disadvantages, and other factors.

The learning difficulties caused by neurodevelopmental problems actually have a series of physiological reasons. These physiological problems in diagnosis may include "learning disabilities", "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder", "mental retardation", "loneliness spectrum disorder", etc., all of which are related to the development of the nervous system.

Regarding how parents can determine whether their children have "learning difficulties", Zhang Lili, Deputy Chief Physician of the Children's Health Center at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to the Capital Pediatrics Research Institute, said in a media interview that usually, children cannot understand what teachers say in class, and after being tutored by parents or others, they still cannot learn.

Zhang Lili said that when a child spends more time learning than other classmates, but the results are still not good, it is necessary to consider whether it is a matter of learning skills. For this situation, parents need to come to the hospital to see what is causing their child's poor learning.

After visiting the "Learning Difficulty" clinic, Li Xixi's biggest improvement was a deeper understanding of the child. "Losing focus, lack of patience... These were once considered her shortcomings of not being serious enough, but they were all caused by underdeveloped nervous system, so she naturally stopped yelling and getting angry."

After the pressure between parents and children decreased, Li Xixi found that the child's attention performance actually improved. "Parents' patience is really valuable, especially for children with attention problems. Going to the 'Learning Difficulty' clinic and testing parents' anxiety and depression levels is generally quite scientific."

The WeChat official account of the Department of Psychology of the Affiliated Pediatrics Hospital of Fudan University also points out that many children with "learning difficulties" actually do not have too much difficulties themselves, but do not reach the ideal learning state under the influence of parents' inappropriate education methods or inappropriate learning environment.

For example, some families assign a heavy academic burden to their children and do not have time for exercise and play; Some families change the parents who tutor their children in their studies, and the children may not adapt well to the new tutoring methods; Some families have noisy learning environments, making it difficult for children to quietly engage in learning.

In such cases, it is necessary to guide parents to adjust their educational methods, provide a good learning environment for their children, and help them unleash their best learning potential.

Poor grades, do not seek medical attention indiscriminately

Netizens have expressed different opinions on the issue of having to see a doctor for poor grades. On the Q&A website Zhihu, many respondents believe that besides seeking medical treatment for learning difficulties caused by physiological reasons, parents should have a correct understanding of their children's characteristics and not seek medical treatment indiscriminately when facing difficulties.

Zhihu Anshu @ Yellow River Border:

I heard for the first time in my life that studying is not good and I need to see a doctor.

”

It is strongly not recommended for parents to take their children to see a doctor solely on the grounds of poor academic performance. Let's talk about psychological issues separately.

This behavior will have a subtle impact on children's inner world, making them feel that "I am sick, so my studies are not good", and it will actually cause greater obstacles to children's learning.

During school, children need more encouragement. Last week, I talked to a high school physics teacher and he said that children are actually very sensitive. A parent approached him and asked the teacher for more help regarding his child's poor academic performance. He intentionally praised this student once in his own classroom. Since then, students have been studying very hard and often come to ask questions.

If encouragement is enough, but learning is not satisfactory, then we need to start from the learning itself, specifically see which subject is weak, which questions are not good, and where the difficulty lies. This requires specific situation analysis. But we must not compromise our approach and seek medical treatment indiscriminately if we encounter difficulties.

Zhihu Answerer @ littlemoonmoon:

Only by truly identifying what causes "learning difficulties" can targeted treatment be achieved.

”

Learning difficulties are not a disease, but an objective manifestation of behavior.

The vast majority of parents take their children to the hospital in the hope of understanding the reasons for their children's "learning difficulties": it is because their children suffer from neurodevelopmental diseases, which make it difficult for them to perform their normal learning functions; It is still because the child has other illnesses, such as reading disorders, oppositional defiance disorders, delayed intellectual development, etc., which lead to slow academic progress.

If a child really has learning difficulties due to illness, ordinary education and parenting methods may not be enough to significantly improve the child's condition, and it may be necessary to cooperate with medication and non medication treatment to help the child.

Ultimately, finding the true cause of learning difficulties is crucial for targeted treatment.

So once you decide to take your child to see a doctor, parents must also follow the doctor's advice.

Finally, helping children solve problems may not always end up in terms of academic performance, and parents are also encouraged to pay more attention to their children's physical and mental health.

Zhihu Anshu @ Guangsir:

Focus on things beyond the child's academic performance and identify their strengths.

”

At the parent teacher meeting, I once asked parents: How can we improve their children's academic performance from the perspective of parents?

The answers obtained are roughly the same: urging the child to complete homework, assigning extra homework to the child, and having the child attend tutoring classes.

During a casual chat in the office, I asked the teachers: How can we improve the grades of our students from the perspective of educators?

The answers obtained are also roughly the same: supervise them to complete their homework, provide after-school tutoring to underperforming students, and conduct graded assignments.

Very few teachers can come up with an answer beyond that.

However, there is a saying in education that I still remember: the reason why education is complex and difficult to study is because our research object is people, and people are complex.

That is to say, if a student's grades are not good, the measures you take are only to increase their learning tasks or time, which is basically ineffective.

What should we do?

From the perspective of parents, focus on things beyond their children's grades and find their shining points; Building a harmonious family environment; Pay attention to the child's psychological state, interpersonal relationships, and physical health; Actively communicate and exchange ideas with teachers.

From the perspective of educators, provide a platform to promote parent-child communication and promote parent-child relationships; Building a harmonious learning and cultural environment; Pay attention to the psychological state of students; Increase guidance on learning methods with the goal of improving learning efficiency, rather than simply increasing learning time; Combining work and rest, paying attention to the physical health of students.

Chu Chaohui, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences, pointed out in an interview with China News Agency's Guoshi Express that parents should treat their children's academic performance rationally. There is a gap between children's interests and standardized learning. Cultivating and teaching according to their interests is also a way of growth.

"Relying solely on the existing evaluation criteria of enrollment exam scores to judge the quality of students is arbitrary, and the focus should be on enabling children to achieve better growth and development in areas of interest," said Chu Chaohui.

Reference [1] "Learning Difficulty" Outpatient Clinic welcomes the peak of summer visits, and poor grades are considered learning difficulties—— New Beijing News

[2] Psychological Department Officially Uncovers the "Learning Disability" Clinic -- WeChat official account of Psychological Department of Pediatrics Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University