What are neurological learning and development disabilities?
Children and youths with a neurological disorder may need special care in the field of learning and development. For instance, when they have trouble reading, concentrating or remembering. The fact that there could be a link between a neurological illness of disorder and learning performance and behavior is relatively unknown.
People directly involved with the child, e.g. parents and relatives, are insufficiently aware of this. But care providers and educationists require information and advice. It is important to timely map the strengths and weaknesses in the (development of) learning and behavior of a child with a neurological disorder. This allows for the timely anticipation of cognitive and/or behavioral problems, preventing that learning performance or development lag behind the actual abilities of the child.
Unique specialization for children with a neurological disorder
If there is a supposition that the learning or developmental impairment of a child is related to its neurological disorder, or if this has been demonstrated, the Center for Neurological Learning and Development Disabilities at Kempenhaeghe offers insight in the problems. The Center is unique and offers specialist expertise in the field of brains, learning and development.
In the Center, the disciplines pediatric neurology, clinical neuropsychology and neurodidactics have been brought together. The option to involve the affiliated educational expertise center De Berkenschutse offers extra perspectives and makes it easier to get in touch with the child’s school, whether a regular school or a school for special education. A child thus gets the optimal perspective to improve its wellbeing and learning performance in school, as the center focuses on what the child can do.
Various disorders
The Center for Neurological Learning and Development Disabilities treats children with a very wide variety of neurological disorders. This includes deviations or infections of the nervous system, traumatic brain injuries, neurological disorders as a result of complications at birth, heredity and neurofibromatosis type 1. Specific care programs have been set up for the latter.
Research and cooperation: together we are strong
Relatively little is known about the coherence between a neurological disorder and learning performance and behavior. That is why the Center for Neurological Learning and Developmental Disorders, in addition to patient care, also focuses on the transfer of knowledge to professionals in care and education.
The Center intensively works together with university centers, in particular with the pediatric neurologists at Maastricht UMC+ and with the academic hospitals in Leiden, Nijmegen and Rotterdam, where children are treated for their serious and often complex neurological disorder.