Where to start to determine memory problems?

[Kendall]

My 10th grader has always struggled with academic work.  She does like learning.  She doesn't hate school.  But many things are a struggle.  My oldest 3 are National Merit Finalists.  So I tried not to compare her and I just let her work where she was.  But I am wondering if she has problems beyond being more average than her older siblings.  Maybe I thought too much that she was just more average than them and I should have been trying to figure out if she had specific learning issues that could be diagnosed and solved.  

 

I am now wondering if the issues are memory related, but I am not sure where to start.  I would welcome book recommendations and websites and articles that you have used to educate yourself.  Also testing thoughts.   

 

She likes to read, but doesn't always understand ll of the passages of harder text.  Math has always been a struggle.  Remember labels for things has always been a struggle.  I thought she would grow out of that, but at 15 I need to face that there may be more going on than slower maturity.  

 

An example if this helps you to point me in the right direction.   In geometry even after 6 or days of going over corresponding, alternate interior, and same side angles she still cannot remember all of the names.  She is finally recognizing such pairs of angles in a diagram, but can't usually tell me that they are corresponding etc.  Though she can solve equations pretty well,  after a year of algebra I still had to remind her of what a variable was at the beginning of this year and most of last.  She can't remember how to find the midpoint after weeks of doing it (though not daily).  She also has trouble understanding directions (math and otherwise).

 

Any and all thoughts are welcome.  

 

Thanks,

 

Kendall

 

 

[EKS]

Perhaps dyslexia?  A neuropsych evaluation might be helpful.

 

[Kendall]

I just read a list of dyslexia symptoms for high school students and I don't think she has any other than the very non specific 

• Have poor memory skills and complete assigned work more slowly than expected.

I don't even know where to start with a neuropsych eval.  the pediatrician?  

[Kendall]

And how do I determine if her issues warrant an eval in the minds of the people doing the evaluation as well as our own minds.

[Guest]

IME, the pediatrician took my word for it when I mentioned my worries and gave a few solid examples.  The evaluators have no dog in the game; they are there just to...evaluate :)   You are already concerned (rightly, in my opinion) that there is something more going on.  And if the testing comes back normal? Then you have an answer and can go from there, either testing in other areas or researching alternative ways to learn, or whatever.

[PeterPan]

Actually the easiest, least expensive place to start (for what you're describing) would be an SLP eval.  She may have some language comprehension issues the SLP would turn up.  Some SLP's will run a CTOPP as well.  Just ask.  Since everything you're describing is language, that's where I would start.  They SLP will probably have an EF screening tool for ADHD as well.  From there you'll go to the psych/neuropsych.  

 

The reason SLP is because you're describing comprehension issues.  The SLP is affordable (MUCH less than a psych) and can pinpoint whether that's vocabulary, theory of mind, or what, AND then you're on track to getting something done about it.  SLP's do language processing, not just articulation.  :)