Learning Disability
A Learning Disability is a neurological disorder. In simple terms, a learning disability results from a difference in the way a person's brain is "wired." Children with learning disabilities are as smart or smarter than their peers. But they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling and/or organizing information if left to figure things out by themselves or if taught in conventional ways.
TYPES OF LEARNING DISABILITIES
DYSLEXIA
Dyslexia is characterized by deficits in accurate and fluent word recognition. Individuals with dyslexia struggle with word recognition, decoding, and spelling. Reading comprehension is sometimes impaired due to very poor word reading skills.
Individuals with dyslexia often have deficits in phonemic and phonological awareness, which refer to the ability to hear, identify and manipulate the sound structure of a spoken word, including its phonemes, syllables, onsets and rimes.
Individuals with dyslexia may also have impaired orthographic processing, which interferes with connecting letters and letter combinations with sounds accurately and fluently.
DYSGRAPHIA
Dysgraphia is a learning disability which involves impaired ability to produce legible and automatic letter writing and often numeral writing, the latter of which may interfere with math.
Dysgraphia is rooted in difficulty with storing and automatically retrieving letters and numerals. Individuals with dysgraphia often have difficulties in Executive Functions (e.g., planning and organizing).
DISCALCULIA
Individuals with this type of learning disability demonstrate impaired math calculation skills and difficulty understanding numbers and math facts.
Dyscalculia is associated with weaknesses in fundamental number representation and processing, which results in difficulties with quantifying sets without counting, using nonverbal processes to complete simple numerical operations, and estimating relative magnitudes of sets.
Because these math skills are necessary for higher-level math problem solving, quantitative reasoning is likely impaired for these individuals.
SYMPTOMS OF LEARNING DIASABILITY
Symptoms of Learning Disability are diagnosed at different stages with each stage having its own set of characteristics/signs.
Preschool: The child may have some of these difficulties in preschool.
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Developing speaking skills at normal age (15-18 months) when speech typically develops in children
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Pronouncing simple words
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Recognizing letters and words
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Learning numbers, rhymes or songs
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Concentrating on tasks
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Following rules and directions
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Using fine/gross motor skills to do physical tasks.
Primary School: The child may have difficulty in:
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Connecting letters and sounds
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Differentiating between similar sounding words or rhyming words
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Reading, spelling, or writing accurately
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Distinguishing right from left, for example, confusing 25 with 52, “b” with “d,” “on” with “no,” “s” with “5”
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Recognizing letters of the alphabet
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Using correct mathematical symbols for doing maths problems
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Remembering numbers or facts
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Learning new skills; the child may be slower than other children of his or her age
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Memorizing poems or answers
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Understanding the concept of time
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Hand-to-eye coordination, being unable to gauge the distance or speed, thus leading to accidents
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Tasks involving fine motor skills: holding pencil, tying shoe lace, buttoning shirt and so on
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Keeping track of own possessions like stationery items
Middle School: The child may have difficulty in:
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Spelling similar words (sea/see, week/weak), usage of prefixes, suffixes
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Reading aloud, writing assignments, solving word problems in maths (the child may avoid doing tasks involving these skills)
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Handwriting (child may grip the pencil tightly)
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Memorizing or recalling facts
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Understanding body language and facial expressions
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Showing appropriate emotional reactions in a learning environment (the child may behave in an aggressive or rebellious way, and react with an excess of emotion)
High School: The child may have difficulty in:
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Spelling words accurately (the child may write the same word with different spellings in a single writing assignment)
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Reading and writing tasks
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Summarizing, paraphrasing, answering application problems or questions in tests
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Poor memory
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Adjusting to new surroundings
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Understanding abstract concepts
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Focusing consistently: the child may lack concentration on some tasks, while focusing excessively on others