Medical H.E.L.P. is a remedial program for medical students and physicians who have learning disabilities/dyslexia and/or ADHD. We attempt to help the participants improve their skills in the following areas: reading comprehension, test-taking strategies with an emphasis on multiple-choice exams, learning techniques, memory strategies, organizational skills and self esteem. We have worked with more than 600 medical students and physicians who represent approximately 75 medical schools. The most common area of weakness is that when they read they do not structure the material in a manner that enables them to recall it later. They "just read words". They make no effort to associate what they are learning with what they already know, and we try to impress upon them that when information is all by itself it is like being on an island with no way of getting to the mainland. They must learn to build a "bridge" to the island. Students are given a structured outline to fill in for topics that puzzle them greatly. Then when that is complete, they develop a map, using color coding to aid them, which provides a multi-sensory experience. H.E.L.P. participants are encouraged to observe how they learn best. Emphasis is also placed on improving self-esteem.

    Medical H.E.L.P. began in 1986 when a gifted medical student was referred to Dr. Barbara Guyer for testing because he was unsuccessful in his first year of medical school. The program has evolved from the results of that initial testing. The young man proved to have genius level intelligence with beginning high school reading and spelling skills. He should have been diagnosed learning disabled or dyslexic years ago. Because of his intelligence, he was able to cope with his academic challenges and was, in fact, valedictorian of his high school class and an honor student in college. Medical school was a disaster for him because he could not learn all that he needed to know in a study group. Nor could he concentrate for the long periods of time that were required. With assistance from Medical H.E.L.P., he was able to graduate from medical school, and today he is an unusually successful practicing surgeon with several publications to his credit. He is also board certified.

     The medical student with LD/dyslexia (often with Attention Deficit Disorder) usually is a capable, talented person who has the ability to succeed in medical school. However, our first student didn't know how to comprehend what he read well enough or quickly enough. He also didn't take multiple choice tests well. His self esteem had dwindled rapidly until his depression and poor self concept became almost as serious a problem as the academic deficiencies. The combination of the two created failure for him and a great deal of anxiety.

    The person who is enrolled in Medical H.E.L.P. participates in individual and small group sessions that focus on the following:

1. IQ scores above average to gifted range
2. Reading rate is slow and labored
3. Reading comprehension is poor
4. History of difficulty with standardized tests
5. Study skills & test-taking strategies are inadequate
6. ADHD is often present
7. LD & ADHD are often not diagnosed before medical school failure
8. Self-esteem is low
9. Verbal skills very high -- relates well to others -- excels in clinical years 3 & 4
10. LD is not severe at earlier levels of education. As demands increase, the person is less & less able to perform well
11. Creativity is usually present to unusual degree
12. Visualization skills are excellent
13. Right hemisphere skills are often present
14. More empathy than general population
15. Math skills may be excellent
16. May be skilled athletically
    
    

    DIAGNOSING STUDENTS WHO ARE LD/ADHD

    Below are listed areas that testing will include or consider:

    1. Brief History
    2. Previous Test Scores
       1. ACT or SAT
       2. MCAT
       3. Other standardized tests
    3. Academic Achievement Testing
       1. Wide Range Achievement Test 3
       2. Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement
       3. Nelson-Denny Reading Test
       4. Others as appropriate
    4. Intelligence Testing
       1. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test -- Third Edition (WAIS-III)
       2. Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Ability
    5. Screening for Attention Deficit Disorder
       1. Subtests of WAIS-III
       2. Criteria specified in DSM-IV
       3. Checklists -- a variety
       4. Observation by examiner
       5. History of childhood behavior

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    For questions or comments, please contact the
    Medical H.E.L.P. Center

    http://www.marshall.edu/medicalhelp/description.html
    Last Updated May 17, 2000
    Designed by: Matthew Thornton