Physician-Parents Head Back to School to Solve Learning Problems

(PRWEB) December 13, 2004

Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide were University of Chicago physicians when one of their children began having problems at school. When they sought help, they found conventional approaches frustrating. Fernette, a neurologist recalls, "We were shocked to find out how little specific help we could find for our son. We were in the perfect place to get any expert we could, but we were handed behavioral checklists and standardized IQ tests that we knew weren't going to get to the heart of his problem. We knew we wanted help, but we needed someone who would take the time to get to know him as a person, and understand his unique neurobiological, medical, psychosocial, and educational issues. Was that too much to ask?" Apparently it was. The Eides eventually found their own answers to help him, but in so doing realized the great need to provide children with an individualized approach to their problems.

Now, the Eides find themselves with a national practice specializing in school age children with a wide range of learning problems such as dyslexia, giftedness with learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, and auditory processing disorders. They perform detailed neurological and neuropsychological assessments, and then make specific learning and educational recommendations for their parents and teachers. How has their work been received? "It's been incredible," says Brock, a general practitioner. "We work with schooling and homeschooling parents, teachers, tutors, and IEP teams, and draft specific recommendations for learning based on what we observe about a child's strength in processing information, remembering, and how they express themselves. It's very empowering for the children, and it's exciting sharing information with professionals from different disciplines. Rarely we may hear about someone who doesn't agree with our findings, but for the most part these disagreements occur because they are unaware of the biological issues, or unfamiliar with the research backing up our findings."

In the future, Eides hope that more physicians will be attracted to working in the field of school-based learning disorders. "There is so much need", says Fernette. "There have been dramatic increases in the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and it's estimated that 1 in 5 children have some learning difficulty such as dyslexia, but usually there's no obvious single place to get help." Part of the problem is that there is a nationwide shortage of pediatric neurologists (see Pediatric Neurology's Midlife Crisis, Neurology 63: 1642, 2004), and few pediatric professionals who have a specialized knowledge in the full dimensions of learning and learning disorders. "There's a great need for people who can put all the pieces of the puzzle together- but that requires putting together information from all the areas that affect learning," concludes Brock. "Many medical professionals don't see learning disabilities as a significant health issue. But school is a huge part of all kids' lives. When things aren't working, it colors your whole view of yourself and it affects how you look to the future."

Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide are physicians and consultants to a wide range of parent, teacher, and clinical professional groups about learning and learning disabilities. Their book on Neurolearning will be published by Hyperion Press in 2006. Online articles and a newsletter are available at: http://www.neurolearning.com. The Eides can be reached by email at: feide@u.washington.edu

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