This article focuses on the differences that result from having a learning disorder and the way these differences influence the treatment process. I appreciate how this article offers a conceptual framework to understand the modifications that are necessary in the treatment of this population. The author emphasizes that the therapist brings a perspective that is informed by the contributions, the context, and the child’s competencies to the treatment process. There are two major goals of the therapeutic process when working with this population. The first goal is to engage the child in an experience in which they can relive an old pattern of interaction and create a new pattern of interaction in which feelings are deeply engaged and made more meaningful. The second goal is to cocreate a narrative with the child that helps the child better understand their strengths and weaknesses, what happened to them historically, and how to use that knowledge to their advantage when dealing with situations in the future.
In contrast to other approaches, the author suggests that it is not possible to conceptualize the treatment of children with learning disorders as having a beginning, a middle, and an end. Instead, the therapeutic process with these children is open-ended and created during a series of moments. This article introduces the categorization of moments including concordant moments, complementary moments, and disjunctive moments. During concordant moments, a holding environment is created. During complementary moments the transference and countertransference is addressed. During Disjunctive moments the ruptures that inevitably occur during treatment are dealt with.