Murphy
and Dwyer Academy, Inc. (MDA) specializes in serving students with
specific neurological profiles, which as a group we consider to
have Neurointegrative™
Learning Differences (NILD). Students
with these neurological impairments may have been given diagnoses
that include Asperger Disorder, Right Hemisphere Inefficiency,
High Functioning Autism, Non-Verbal Learning Disability, Learning
Disability, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Mild Right Hemisphere
Traumatic Brain Injury.
Dr.
Margaret McPhee created the term Neurointegrative™
Learning Differences (NILD) to differentiate a group of students
with complex neurological or neurodevelopment learning profiles
who have right hemisphere impairment and executive function
difficulties.
Dr. McPhee
created the term “neurointegrative” to symbolically represent
that many of her patients’ primary difficulty is with
integration of information. She
believes individual brains are wired differently, but recognizes
that for many individuals to receive services, we are unable to do
away with diagnostic labels. Currently,
diagnostic labels are not able to address the complexity of the
neurological profiles and learning systems of each student.
Analysis of complex neuropsychological testing and
developmental history, however, identified several students
misdiagnosed with AS or NVLD. Their testing and follow up Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (MRI)
or BEAM
Studies indicated
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI). This misdiagnosis often left
many students who needed services without a definitive
“classification” to describe their learning profile and make
them eligible for services. However, the NVLD, AS, MTBI, etc.,
cluster of students’ educational and social needs can be met in
the same program with individualized educational components.
The students’ neuropsychological testing indicates that
they have right hemisphere inefficiency as well as executive
functioning and social pragmatic deficits. MDA can analyze their
learning system profiles to meet their needs.
MDA
students require a program that accommodates their neuro-cogntive
deficits through neurocognitive integration. Many of MDA’s
students are cognitively organized to focus on details and often
have difficulty understanding and integrating the relationship of
parts to the whole (e.g. social mind blindness, social dyslexia,
and global coherence, from a neurodevelopment and automaticity
perspective). Research
has shown that by approximately 7 to 8 years of age typical
youngsters are able to attend to detail-parts (left-hemisphere
function) while simultaneously integrating the parts into a
cohesive whole (right-hemisphere function). They are also able to
differentiate relevant from irrelevant detail. However, students
with Neurointegrative™ Learning Differences have difficulty
integrating parts into a cohesive, meaningful, and organized
whole. Their cognitive organization requires the curriculum to be
reformatted and presented in a different modality; thus, matching
teaching style to the student’s learning style.
This approach is in contrast to the manner curriculum is
presented to their same age peers in regular education.
MDA’s curriculum and methodology is designed to emphasize
the student’s strengths and to accommodate the individual’s
learning style and neurocognitive profile.
Murphy
and
Dwyer
Academy
’s goals are to:
·
Meet
the educational, social, and emotional needs of students with
Neurointegrative™
Learning Differences.
·
Integrate
and apply research findings in developmental psychology,
neurology, and education.
·
Develop
a safe, therapeutic program that meets the individual needs of
students with Neurointegrative™ Learning Differences while
helping them learn to be a member of a community.
·
Provide
comprehensive therapeutic services to this vulnerable, at-risk
population through education, outreach, and training.
·
Provide
opportunities for clinical and educational research and training
programs in the areas of developmental and Neurointegrative™
Learning Differences.
·
Promote
skills to allow students to enjoy being functional members of
society.
