“What does a psychologist do for learning disabilities?”

Typically psychologists conduct assessments to diagnosis the learning disability. They do not necessarily "treat" for learning disabilities though. I would highly recommend a School Psychologist for learning disability assessment, as this is one of their specialties.

There are several things a psychologist can do to help someone with learning disabilities. Psychologists are trained primarily to do both intellectual and educational testing and can also assess emotional functioning. They can provide assessments of learning and school-related problems to help individuals and caregivers understand the challenges that an individual may encounter when learning, processing, understanding, and making sense of information. Psychologists can make recommendations about resources and treatments that can help individuals with learning disabilities, such as accommodations in academic settings, work, or home to assist with learning new information. They can provide therapy or recommend home and community-based services to help with emotional and behavioural problems evolving from distress.

Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT) is contemporary an accepted and effective method of treating people with learning disabilities, this is evidenced by the reducing numbers of persons suffering from learning disability illnesses.

Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT) is contemporary an accepted and effective method of treating people with learning disabilities, this is evidenced by the reducing numbers of persons suffering from learning disability illnesses.

Thank you for your question. There are many ways a psychologist could help someone who has learning disabilities to improve reading, writing, and math skills, including exploring visual, auditory, and kinesthetic multimodal learning styles, practicing various strategies (repetition, mnemonic devices, visualization), and exploring new adaptive responses for self-awareness and self-confidence. Treatment usually includes both strengthening the skills and developing a learning strategy tailored to take advantage of the person's strengths. For example, repetition and mnemonic devices might make it easier to memorize a math formula, and drawing a picture to illustrate a word problem might help to visualize what is being asked. Treatment for a learning disorder often also involves
multimodal teaching. If your daughter has trouble comprehending a subject with her eyes and ears alone, other senses such as touch, taste, and even smell can play a role in the learning process. Similarly, learning to convert one sort of problem into another format may help (e.g. changing a traditional math problem into a word problem). A learning specialist can help determine the services or accommodations a person might benefit from. Psychotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy, in particular, may also be helpful in treating the emotional and behavioral problems that can accompany a learning disorder.

For *impairment in reading*:

· *Special teaching techniques.* These can include helping the person learn through multisensory experiences and by providing immediate feedback to strengthen the person's ability to recognize words.

· *Use of technology.* People with impairment in reading may benefit from listening to books on tape or using word-processing programs with spell-check features.

For *impairment in written expression*:

· *Use of technology.* A person can be taught to use word-processing programs or an audio recorder instead of writing by hand.

For *impairment in mathematics*:

· *Use of memory aids*. Rhymes and music are among the techniques that can be used to help a person remember math concepts.

I hope this has been helpful!

*Jenna Torres, PsyD*
Licensed Psychologist
LifeStance Health
(626) 808-4600 x109

Hello and thank you for your question, typically, a psychologist does testing to identify the specific disabilities and recommends corrective action that can be taken to support the individual tested. For school-age children, the testing can influence individual education plans and other support provided by schools.

See this link...
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/learning-disability
or
http://www.intellectualdisability.info/historic-articles/articles/psychological-treatments-for-people-with-learning-disabilities