The maladroit adolescent: learning disorders and attentional deficits

Being maladroit in a society with increasing emphasis on performance is a formidable challenge to adolescent development. Helping maladroit adolescents achieve optimal potential is a challenge for physicians, educators, and others involved in their care. The first steps for professionals are recognizing SLD and ADD and understanding the configurations of these problems as they apply to adolescents and adults. Educators can prioritize academic concerns and evaluate and provide intervention strategies. Physicians can review new pharmacologic data and follow-up studies to help formulate clinical judgments, particularly around the area of medication. Along with counselors, physicians will provide better longitudinal care when aware of the social and behavioral outcomes reported for patients similar to theirs. Finally, awareness of resources facilitates multidisciplinary communication and provides access for patients and clients to needed medical, educational, and support resources. There has always been a sense of advocacy among those working with the adolescent whose exaggerated maladroitness stems from a problem with learning or attention. Perhaps this review will provide a data base from which advocacy can expand to specific action. That has been our goal.