Course Information

School Children with Learning Disabilities

School Children with Learning Disabilities

Around 10% of children are experiencing difficulty in school at any point in time. The prevalence of problems such as Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is around 10% or higher in some regions. It has therefore become necessary for family physicians to develop knowledge and skills to support these children, as there are large numbers accessing secondary and tertiary care. Larger numbers and long waiting time can have negative effects on children.

Using a case-based format, this course is designed to support the family physician in the development of skills for the initial assessment and management of children as they present in a primary care setting. This requires the enhancement of historical information, identification of physical factors that may be contributing to the child’s problems and measuring behaviour and academic skills in an efficient manner. The course provides a step-by-step path regarding two common clinical presentations of children whose chief complaint is “trouble in school”.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Recognize the role of the physician in the continuum of care when a child presents with difficulty in school and the differing levels of involvement in such a child’s management.

2. Summarize the steps of evaluation for a child presenting with school problems, including:

  • focused history;
  • complete general and neurologic exam;
  • gathering and interpreting information from school staff and other professionals;
  • investigations;
  • brief sampling of a child's academic skills; and
  • use and interpretation of behavioral questionnaires.

3. Identify the differential diagnosis for learning and attention problems in a school-aged child.

4. Describe evidence-based interventions for uncomplicated Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

5. Outline an initial plan for intervention, including writing a basic case formulation that can be given to parents and/or school, and collaborating with school personnel to assist in the child’s management.


This project was made possible through the support of an unrestricted educational grant provided by Canadian Paediatric Society.

Course Registration

School Children with Learning Disabilities

MDcme (on behalf of its consortium partners) protects the privacy of personal and other information regarding course registrants. MDcme will not release personally identifiable information to a third party without an individual's consent, except such information as is required for reporting purposes to the body or bodies accrediting this course for continuing education study credits. MDcme collects and reviews all course data (registration/course completion statistics, pre/post-test and satisfaction survey) to determine if a course meets participants' learning needs. Data is reviewed to improve existing courses and to inform the development of future course offerings. If an evaluation report is provided to a third party, all data is summarized, with no participant identifying information included. Given the importance and potential impact of some courses, evaluation data may be presented and/or published in academic venues. Again, this data is always summarized, with no identifying information included.

At times, a contributing/partner organization involved in a course may request individual participant data from pre/post or evaluation surveys for quality improvement or educational research purposes. This data would be de-identified so would not be associated with any personally identifiable information such as your name, profession, city, etc.

If requested by a contributing/partner organization:

Do you consent to the release of your individual, de-identified pre/post or evaluation survey data for the purposes of quality improvement or educational research?


×

You must have an MDcme.ca account and be logged in to register for this course


Credits


Expiry Date

This course expires on
Wednesday, April 20, 2016


Course Author(s):

  • Debbi Andrews, MD, FRCP(C)
  • William Mahoney, MD, FRCP(C)
  • Susan A. Bobbitt, MD, FRCP(C)
  • Shauna Kashluba, Ph.D., R.Psych.
  • Petrina M. Pelletier, Ph.D., R.Psych.

Planning Committee:

  • Carol McConnery MD,CCFP
  • Steve Major MD,CCFP,FCFP
  • James Irvine MD,CCFP,FRCPC
  • Umberto Cellupicia MD,FRCPC, Pediatrics