Motivational systems in child development. A neuropsychoanalytic perspective on disorders of attention and learning

What is the role of emotional processes in the so-called developmental learning disorders (DLD) of child development? In what way is learning and attention in children influenced by emotional processes and relational experiences? Contemporary neuropsychology underestimates the relevance of emotional and especially relational factors in DLD (Miller, 2015). In the past, a child who did not learn was considered either stupid (unable to learn) or lazy (doesn't want to learn). Today, these two categories have been re- placed by other terms which, although seemingly more charitable and understanding, are disguised variants of the same: "stupidity"' corresponds to a set of well-defined deficit disorders (the dyslexic child is an example), while the lazy and insubordinate child is diagnosed with Oppositional Def ant Disorder (ODD, American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Both of these two diagnoses are matched by corresponding precise therapeutic "protocols" linked to the different ways of interpreting these "clinical pictures": (1) stimulation or (2) "bringing back into line" (an approach that might include medical-pharmacological treatment). Each of these points of view rules out the possibility that the child might be displaying an adaptive reaction encompassing a complex situation, from the relational (intrapsychic or interpersonal) standpoint - a condition requiring an equally complex diagnostic and therapeutic response.