Specialised attention by psychopedagogy helps to prevent and treat all those difficulties that appear in the learning and development process of children.
Difficulties in the childhood stage such as ADHD or dyslexia, among others, are chronic pathologies that affect their development and have an impact on all stages of their lives.
Our unit aims to re-educate and/or rehabilitate children with specific difficulties or disorders through an individualised and personalised intervention, with the use of innovative methods of diagnosis and therapy. It also seeks to offer individual (children, parents or guardians) and group (schools) psychotherapeutic treatments.
On the other hand, people with family members who suffer from these difficulties or disorders are oriented by professionals trained in the use of these methods.
In the Psychopedagogy Unit, several difficulties affect the academic and personal field, among which we highlight:
In recent years there has been a breakthrough in the development of diagnostic techniques and the early detection of such disorders through the use of technology, such as virtual reality.
Hospital La Paloma’s Psychopedagogy Unit is the first center in Gran Canaria that incorporates this technology in its sessions and consultations.
At the same time, therapies include this technology along with other complementary technologies such as augmented reality or computer software.
In the Psychopedagogy Unit we have the Nesplora system, being the only center in Gran Canaria that has it. It is a system to diagnose cognitive problems in virtual reality environments, such as Attention Deficit Disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD). Although it is especially indicated in children between 6 and 16 years old, it is also used in sessions with adults.
This system places the patient in virtual environments that emulate a real situation and collects information from cognitive processes. In this way, objective information about cognitive and behavioral processes in simulated environments is achieved.
The diagnosis of ADHD must be made by a doctor or clinical psychologist who must be complemented, in turn, with information provided by the parents or the educational center.
Dide is a new tool that allows gathering information quickly and massively about the possible learning difficulties that children between 2 and 18 years of age may suffer. In the Psychopedagogy Unit we have this new system, being the only center in Gran Canaria that has it.
This virtual platform facilitates decision making when assessing children’s development and learning. Thus, families, schools and educational counsellors together with psychopedagogist can make a diagnosis.
Dide collects information regarding the evolution of the child and gives the necessary information to guide the management of possible difficulties that will arise in the development and learning of children.
Hyperactivity, restlessness, lack of attention or impulsivity, for example, manifest themselves at an early age. They usually affect their school performance, learning, and relationships with others their age.
In fact, some studies have revealed that many prisoners who suffer from this type of pathology and were not detected in childhood, are conditioned and affected by the consequences of these disorders.
ADHD affects 5% of schoolchildren between 6 and 16 years. It is a neurological disorder that develops in childhood and usually manifests itself through attention deficit and concentration, impulsivity or hyperactivity.
In many children this disorder usually disappears in adolescence, however in other cases it may be accompanied by other disorders (challenging negative anxiety, adaptation, behaviour, learning) and also remain in adulthood.
At Hospital de la Paloma Psychopedagogy, Zaira Santana is collegiate, which allows her to to write legal psychopedagogical reports.
The treatment of ADHD should be multidisciplinary as it is necessary to involve doctors, psychopedagogues, psychologists, teachers, parents…
A psychoeducational approach and medication that will improve symptoms is also necessary.
The most common treatment is usually medication. However, this treatment does not resolve the symptoms completely and a psychopedagogist intervention is necessary. In addition, parents are not satisfied with this prescription, so they opt for other alternatives such as cognitive behavioural interventions and family interventions. The Psychopedagogy Unit of Hospital La Paloma is the first unit in Gran Canaria that will incorporate physical exercise in its sessions and consultations as an adjunctive treatment for ADHD.
Psychopedagogy diagnosis and treats learning disorders. One of the best known is dyslexia, which affects writing and reading related skills. Those who suffer from it have difficulty with reading, spelling and arithmetic calculation problems. The origin of dyslexia is not in the intellectual quotient or emotional state of the affected person.
Another disorder that is treated in this unit is dyscalculia. It is a learning disorder of mathematics, that is, it affects the ability to understand numbers and work with them.
In the Psychopedagogy Unit we have recently incorporated training with artificial intelligence Sincrolab video games with in the treatments of patients with neurodevelopmental disorders (ADHD), with learning difficulties and in adults with neurodegenerative disorders.
This tool is controlled by the specialist at all times and consists of an app for mobile or tablet/pad with which the patient can access video games every day. The psychopedagogue will monitor the evolution and progress of each patient from the platform to adapt the workouts.
The advantage of using video games in therapy is that it allows you to manage and generate personalised cognitive training plans for both children and adults. The results show that patients increase their performance in tests related to processing speed and decrease execution and response times in tests related to inhibitory control capacity.
In children who have high intellectual abilities, that is, an above average intelligence, it is important to work in sessions with a psychopedagogue. The work allows to continue improving performance by exercising those faculties that have less developed but above all, to improve in personal aspects such as self-esteem or social skills.
