Murphy and Dwyer Academy, Inc. (MDA) specializes
in serving students with specific neurological profiles, which as
a group we consider to have NeurointegrativeÔ Learning Differences (NILD).
Students with these neurological impairments may have been
given diagnoses that include Asperger's 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
NeurointegrativeÔ 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
the fact that many of her patients’ primary difficulty is with
integration of information. She
believes individual brains are wired differently (Levine, Mel,
2002) 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 neurocogntive 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 NeurointegrativeÔ 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.
