New systems of diagnosis and rehabilitation for pupils with serious learning difficulties are developing all over France. However, the importance of dertermining factors and psychic functioning which are found in these intellectual and cognitive difficulties have been revealed by many authors. The longitudinal study of Murielle, a child presenting a suspicion of dyslexia, followed by a diagnosis of mild deficiency and finally, an evolution toward an orientation outside of the field of handicaps, has shown the importance and interest of projective methods when they are used in clinical psychopathology applied to scolastic difficulties. Indeed, the mental functioning of the child which was thus brought to light allowed us to give a radically differed view of the original treatments proposed to Murielle. This case study also considers the effect of shock induced on the parents by the diagnosis of handicap presented as an irreversable fact.
Keywords
- learning difficulties
- psychic conflict
- separation
- handicap
- learning disability