LEARNING DISABILITIES





What is a learning disability?

Learning disabilities are the most common form of childhood impairment: 1 in 20 children have a learning disability of some kind. The term ‘learning disability’ is very wide and covers any development that is significantly behind what is expected for a particular age. Learning disability may occur on its own or in addition to sensory or physical impairments or medical conditions like epilepsy. For some children (for example, children with  Down’s syndrome), there is a genetic basis for their learning disability. However, for most children the causes of learning disability are never known.
A learning disability can't be cured or fixed; it is a lifelong issue. With the right support and intervention, however, children with learning disabilities can succeed in school and go on to successful, often distinguished careers later in life.
Parents can help children with learning disabilities achieve such success by encouraging their strengths, knowing their weaknesses, understanding the educational system, working with professionals and learning about strategies for dealing with specific difficulties.

Not all great minds think alike

Did you know that Albert Einstein couldn't read until he was nine? Walt Disney, General George Patton, and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller had trouble reading all their lives. Whoopi Goldberg and Charles Schwab and many others have learning disabilities which haven't affected their ultimate success.

How do I know if my child has a  learning disability?
•Many children experience delays in reaching the milestones expected for their age, but this does not always mean they have a learning disability. It’s worrying if your child seems to be slow to develop in any way and the first step should always be to see your health visitor or doctor (GP)  to talk about your concerns. They may be able to reassure you or suggest that you monitor your child’s progress together with them. Sometimes GPs recommend a referral to a specialist, usually a pediatrician (a doctor who specialists in working with babies  and children).
•Sometimes, it’s when routine developmental checks are being carried out with your child that concerns about learning disability are raised.
Routine checks focus everyone’s attention and may lead to monitoring progress over a period of weeks or months. Sometimes they lead to a referral to a specialist.
•For a small number of children, it’s obvious from the time of birth,  or shortly after birth, that they will almost certainly have a learning disability. Some syndromes mean that all children with this syndrome
have a degree of learning disability – for example, Down’s syndrome.
•In a child’s early years, it’s unusual for professionals to use the term ‘learning disability’ and you are more likely to hear terms like ‘delay’, ‘developmental delay’ or ‘special needs’ being used instead.


What does a learning disability mean for my child?

•Learning disability is a very broad term, and in your child’s early  years it’s very hard to predict how they may develop in the future. Much depends on how you are supported as a family and the quality of services that are provided to help you.
•Most children with a learning disability experience delay in more than one area. For example, communication may develop slowly as well as learning to dress and undress. For some children, their development is ‘bumpy’, so that they make good progress for several months and then
level off for several months. A significant number of children with a learning disability also have hearing, visual or physical impairments which affect their overall development.

What can I do to help my child?

Children with a learning disability need the same basic things as other children. They need:
•to be valued as a child first and foremost
•to be safe and healthy
•to be able to communicate with you and other people
•to move around and get out and about
•to play and make friends
•to learn and eventually, go to school.
Many of the ways of helping your child with a learning disability are exactly the same as for other children. Strategies that other parents find useful will help. The main difference is likely to be that you are using them with your child later than you might have expected and it will take longer and need more repetition before your child moves from one stage of development to another.

 There may be times when you need information or support in finding  the best way to help your child. The first step is to think about the help or support that you think you need and what the priorities are for your family.
Every child is different and every family is different. What will help you and your family and what is available locally varies. It may help to talk through what you want for your child with your family, with close friends or with professionals like your GP, before approaching specialist services.
Children with a learning disability can use all the same services as other children, for example, sessions for young children held at the local swimming pool, leisure centre or playgroup. It’s important to keep in mind that your child is a child first and foremost and to trust your own judgement when
you are offered help.  Only you know what is right for your child and your family.

Common Learning Disabilities 

  1. Dyslexia - a language based disability, in which a person has trouble understanding words, sentences, or paragraphs. 
  2. Dyscalculia - a mathematical disability in which a person has a difficult time solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts. 
  3. Dysgraphia - a writing disability in which a person finds it hard to form letters or write within a defined space. 
  4. Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders – sensory disabilities in which a person has difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision.
  5. Nonverbal Learning Disabilities – a neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain, causing problems with visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative and holistic processing functions.

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person's life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment, and in its more severe forms, will qualify a student for special education, special accommodations, or extra support services.

What are the signs of dyslexia?

The problems displayed by individuals with dyslexia involve difficulties in acquiring and using written language. It is a myth that dyslexic individuals "read backwards," although spelling can look quite jumbled at times because students have trouble remembering letter symbols for sounds and forming memories for words. Other problems experienced by dyslexics include the following:
  • Learning to speak
  • Learning letters and their sounds
  • Organizing written and spoken language
  • Memorizing number facts
  • Reading quickly enough to comprehend
  • Persisting with and comprehending longer reading assignments
  • Spelling
  • Learning a foreign language
  • Correctly doing math operations


    Preschool

  • Speaks later than most children 
  • Pronunciation problems 
  • Slow vocabulary growth, often unable to find the right word 
  • Difficulty rhyming words 
  • Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, days of the week, colors, shapes 
  • Extremely restless and easily distracted 
  • Trouble interacting with peers 
  • Difficulty following directions or routines 
  • Fine motor skills slow to develop 

    Grades K-4
  • Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds 
  • Confuses basic words (run, eat, want) 
  • Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including letter reversals (b/d), 
  • inversions (m/w), transpositions (felt, left), and substitutions (house/home) 
  • Transposes number sequences and confuses arithmetic signs (+,-,x,/,=) 
  • Slow to remember facts 
  • Impulsive, difficulty planning 
  • Unstable pencil grip 
  • Trouble learning about time 
  • Poor coordination, unaware of physical surroundings, prone to accidents 

    Grades 5-8
  • Reverses letter sequences (soiled/solid, left/felt) 
  • Slow to learn prefixes, suffixes, root words, and other spelling strategies 
  • Avoids reading aloud 
  • Difficulty with handwriting 
  • Awkward, fist-like, or tight pencil grip 
  • Avoids writing compositions 
  • Slow or poor recall of facts 
  • Difficulty making friends 
  • Trouble understanding body language and facial expressions 
      • High School Students and Adults
  • Continues to spell incorrectly, frequently spells the same word differently in a single piece of writing 
  • Avoids reading and writing tasks 
  • Trouble summarizing 
  • Trouble with open-ended questions on tests 
  • Weak memory skills 
  • Difficulty adjusting to new settings 
  • Works slowly 
  • Poor grasp of abstract concepts 
  • Either pay too little attention to details or focuses on them too much 
  • Misreads information Not all students who have difficulties with these skills are dyslexic. Formal testing is the only way to confirm a diagnosis of suspected dyslexia.

How is dyslexia treated?

Dyslexia is a life-long condition. With proper help, many people with dyslexia can learn to read and write well. Early identification and treatment is the key to helping dyslexics achieve in school and in life. Most people with dyslexia need help from a teacher, tutor, or therapist specially trained in using a multisensory, structured language approach. It is important for these individuals to be taught by a systematic and explicit method that involves several senses (hearing, seeing, touching) at the same time. Many individuals with dyslexia need one-on-one help so that they can move forward at their own pace. In addition, students with dyslexia often need a great deal of structured practice and immediate, corrective feedback to develop automatic word recognition skills. For students with dyslexia, it is helpful if their outside academic therapists work closely with classroom teachers.

 Schools can implement academic accommodations and modifications to help dyslexic students succeed. For example, a student with dyslexia can be given extra time to complete tasks, help with taking notes, and work assignments that are modified appropriately. Teachers can give taped tests or allow dyslexic students to use alternative means of assessment. Students can benefit from listening to books on tape, using text reading computer programs, and from writing on computers.

 Students may also need help with emotional issues that sometimes arise as a consequence of difficulties in school. Mental health specialists can help students cope with their struggles.

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