Ma Xiquan and his coworker conduct a medical consultation at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center on October 8, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Shanghai Children's Medical Center

The outpatient service of "spatial and mathematics learning difficulty" at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center officially opened on Tuesday, which primarily serves students who experience learning difficulties in mathematics, physics and chemistry, as well as those with spatial perception issues, visual-spatial disorders or calculation difficulties.

The "spatial and mathematics learning difficulty" department has garnered attention from many parents. By far, Tuesday's opening day as well as the following two open days on October 15 and October 22 are already fully booked. According to the appointment system from the hospital, the registration fee for the outpatient service is 316 yuan ($44.81).

According to the experts' team from the department, on Tuesday morning, a total of six families with scheduled appointments received the outpatient service, with two of them fitting the symptom of "spatial and mathematics learning difficulty" after an initial assessment. They are upper-grade students from primary schools and senior high school students.

"We will first conduct an assessment to identify the reasons behind the difficulties in spatial and mathematics learning. Attention or psychological and emotional issues can also be intervened upon," Ma Xiquan, associate chief physician in the department of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center, who is one of the experts in the team, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

However, if the assessment indicates that the difficulties are related to developmental issues and the intervention is unlikely to be effective, the experts will inform the parents. Based on the different assessment results, the experts will design tailored intervention plans, according to Ma.

The experts spend about 20 to 30 minutes on each consultation. They engage with both parents and the child, discussing the child's academic performance and personal challenges. After the initial consultation, they recommend further assessments based on the information gathered, which may include psychological evaluations, intelligence tests, attention assessments and comparisons related to mathematics or spatial skills, which take about one to two hours, according to Ma.

After a diagnosis is given, there are several training approaches that can help improve the child's spatial cognitive abilities such as visual-spatial training, according to the experts.

Experts noted that the outpatient service is not recommended for ordinary students, as it is designed to serve individuals with special needs. 

Specialized outpatient services for "learning difficulties" have been established in children's psychiatric departments in several localities across China during recent years. These clinics aim to identify issues using professional methods and provide individualized treatment plans, according to media reports.

Global Times