Home
Our Philosophy
Events/Presentations
Brochure
E-Newsletter
Director/Founder
Contact Us
Links
Offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan • phone: (734) 383-3223 • fax: (734) 913-8111 • info@childmindmatters.com
Evaluation & Testing Treatments & Strategies Childhood Struggles Neuropsychological Perspectives For Professionals
Estimates suggest that at least 10% of school-aged children have some form of significant
social challenge, including reports of frequent bullying and not having any friends. Of these
10%, 1 in 5 socially despondent children has a neurological issue that is driving his or her
social developmental struggles. Neurologically-based social challenges include Autistic-
Spectrum Disorders (Autism, Asperger’s, and PDD-NOS), Regulatory Disorders, and Nonverbal
Learning Disorder (NLD).
Autistic-Spectrum Disorders (ASD’s)
ASD’s are among the most recognized as well as serious neurologically-based disorders of
social development. A distinguishing characteristic of an ASD is a child’s innate lack of interest
in social stimuli (i.e., people). Children with ASD’s tend to have very large gaps between their
cognitive strengths and weaknesses, making neuropsychological testing especially important
for such children. Neuropsychological testing can also help clarify if a child truly falls on the
autistic spectrum, and identify the specific diagnosis (i.e., Autism, Asperger’s, or PDD-NOS).
Regulatory Disorders
Regulatory Disorders involve subtle cognitive, sensory, and motor processing issues that can
prevent children from comfortably participating in social settings, thus affecting their social
development. Regulatory disorders have been established as a distinct category – apart from
ASD’s – by infant and toddler specialists, though they are often misdiagnosed as an ASD or
“atypical” ADD/ADHD. Neuropsychological evaluation is very important in this group of
children as their strengths and weaknesses tend to be quite scattered.
Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD)
NLD affects over 1% of the population and is found at 2-4 times the rate of all ASD’s
combined. It often appears in seemingly bright children who can be highly “book smart” but
perhaps lack coordination and common sense, especially in navigating their social world. NLD
is often mistaken for ADD with Anxiety or Depression, though it has some similarities to
Asperger’s Syndrome and Bipolar Disorder. Check out our NLD Screener for help with
recognizing the symptoms of this under-diagnosed issue.
Dr. Milanovich, founder of MindMatters, is at the forefront of clarifying diagnostic issues
related to social development disorders. Combining both neuropsychological and socialemotional
testing creates a powerful tool in understanding the interpersonal lives of our
children, which is perhaps the most important area of their development. Such testing efforts
are the only way to confirm neurologically-based social disorders.
At MindMatters, we pinpoint what is driving a child’s difficulties in friendships and then
develop programs that specifically address the obstacles preventing a child from making
secure connections.