Difficulties in mathematics

Understanding the difficulties

The reasons for difficulties in mathematics can be cognitive, i. e. they are connected with the way of thinking and understanding of the brain: for example, the child has difficulties in understanding and developing the concepts for numbers and quantities, he or she has memory problems, difficulties in concentrating, etc. However, there may also be emotional causes, such as blockages or anxieties, for example as a result of bad experiences in connection with mathematics. These causes are often differently pronounced and occur individually or combined.

I help the parents to gain an overview about the situation in order to understand where the difficulties are coming from and how the child can best be supported.

Support courses in mathematics

My activities also include support courses for children in mathematics, where I can help the child with his or her learning activities and training with exercices, using additional knowledge and techniques from psychology. I completed my university studies both in psychology and in mathematics, therefore my particular interest in combining these two areas.

The sad child

The child has less joy or interest in things that he or she appreciated earlier, shows sadness or irritability, discouragement, restricted or repetitive activities. He or she tires more quickly and sometimes also has appetite or sleep disturbances. Depressive or depression-like symptoms, however, can be very different from child to child; besides, the child rarely speaks about his or her suffering, often can't express why it is sad.

The causes of this sadness are often very diverse, such as a separation, the loss of a related person or a pet, a move, a relationship problem, or other reasons, but sometimes these reasons are not known.

I offer the parents an analysis of the current situation with their child, give guidance and advice. Depending on the initial situation I can recommend special support or coaching.

As part of my doctoral thesis, I dealt with children who had sad experiences as well as depressive symptoms. My goal was, among other things, to find the power sources, especially through their play and their creativity.

Giftedness (high intellectual potential)

Children with high intellectual potential think and learn differently, usually also faster than other children. Often they are much more sensitive and tend to feel different from other children of their age, do not meet the school expectations and suffer from it. The gifted child can unfold his or her potential and integrate well into the environment if his or her situation is recognized, sustained and encouraged – also by encouraging talents to flourish early. On the other hand, a lack of support, especially if the situation is not recognized or misinterpreted, can lead to significant behavioral problems, performance slumps and psychological problems.

I can carry out an assessment focusing on the identification of giftedness and its manifestation in the different dimensions, and I support families with concrete advice and recommendations for further action. It is ideal when, together with the intellectual capacity, a psycho-affective assessment can be carried out in order that the child's personality is captured in its entirety. Emotional strength, self-confidence and social competency are important prerequisites for developing intellectual potential, using abilities, and preventing frustration or disappointment. I can support your child in order to help him or her with difficulties, e. g. at school, at home or with comrades, and to develop self-competency as well as emotional strength.

My interest in gifted children is based on my experience and training in this field, as a moderator of the ANPEIP forum (association for gifted children in France), as well as my own experience (with positive aspects, but also difficulties) as a gifted child. Furthermore, I am a member of Mensa Switzerland and ISPE. Because children are still in their development, they are particularly sensitive to difficulties, both children with low skills in some areas as well as those with high abilities. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses to varying degrees, and it is important for me to recognize them and to promote talents in a balanced way, which creates an essential basis for the emotional balance.

I perform as well assessments for the detection of giftedness with teenagers and adults. For gifted adults, I offer assessments, consulting and coaching at the Coaching and Psychology Practice proTalent, as I offer these services for children and teenagers at the Psychology Practice PsYkids.

School psychology

Based on my experience with various cantonal school psychology services, I'm happy to help you on this topic.

The direct contacts between school and psychology are the cantonal school psychology services, which are supported by the cantons. Sometimes families want a school psychologist on a private basis, but with a school psychological background and experience, for example in order to assess the child and his / her situation more independently from the school with the aim to obtain a second opinion, or to avoid the often longer waiting period at the government institutions, or for other reasons.

Assessment

We perform tests, questionnaires and other tools that allow the child to be assessed and observed in different situations in order to recognize strengths and weaknesses, as well in comparison to other children of the same age. Sometimes the parents come with the desire for an emotional or intellectual assessment, in other cases individual or several elements can be proposed in the course of the cooperation. Below you can see the different possibilities for an assessment.

Intellectual or cognitive assessment

The tests for detection and determination of intellectual abilities allow analysis and assessment in different areas, such as language, logic, memory, attention, visual and spatial orientation, working speed and other dimensions. Some of these tests - but not all - allow you to calculate the Intelligence Quotient (IQ). However, this must always be analyzed and interpreted in the context of the child's overall situation, the performed tests and the personality profile, for example in the case of an impulsive child, in the case of blockages or when the results are not homogeneous in different areas. Further tests are neuropsychologically oriented and help to understand difficulties in learning or neurological specificities more precisely.

Personality or psycho-affective assessment

This information is often collected by means of questionnaires and allow the various areas of personality, interests and attitudes, reaction, etc. to be determined and assessed. However, there are also less structured and more creative tools in which the child can freely express and behave; these allow as well, in different angles, to access the personality and affective (emotional) development.

Diagnostic Assessments

I also offer diagnostic procedures that can be used to identify the most diagnosable disorders of child development. Similarly, I can give you guidance and advice regarding a diagnosis that your child has been or could be given.