Learning disabilities in kids may often go unnoticed or misinterpreted. This results in significant challenges for children in their educational journey and beyond. Hence, it is essential to recognize the early signs of learning disabilities. It helps the child get timely interventions and support.
Learning disabilities are categorized under ‘Neurodevelopment Conditions’. It is an umbrella term covering a varied range of learning and thinking-related issues influencing the way the brain receives and processes information. Having learning disabilities does not indicate one’s lack of intelligence. It results from differences in which the brain processes and its response to stimuli. The brains of these children are wired differently causing difficulty in speaking, learning, listening, reading, writing, reasoning, and arithmetic. If you notice a child is facing trouble in a specific learning area despite persistent effort, then it might indicate a learning disability.
Early identification of learning disabilities is crucial for taking steps to address the issue thereby making a positive difference in an individual’s life. The best way to do this is by acknowledging potential red flags. It is advised that parents and educators introduce appropriate interventions under the guidance of a professional. This helps the child develop coping strategies, build self-esteem, and achieve their full potential.
A learning disability can cause trouble recognizing letters and sounds. These children are unable to form words and even understand written material. This is a symptom of dyslexia or a disability related to reading and writing.
Language development among children with learning disability is usually delayed. They may face trouble articulating words. The children demonstrate persistent difficulty in speaking; these are the early signs of learning disabilities.
Children facing consistent struggles with basic mathematical concepts including counting, number recognition, or understanding common/simple mathematical operations may be suffering from a condition dyscalculia.
A child with a learning disability can show frequent discrepancies between verbal and written abilities. They also offer inconsistent academic performance.
Children face trouble with fine motor skills. These include difficulty in holding a pencil. Other symptoms include buttoning a shirt.
Professional help can effectively evaluate symptoms among children. The child must be taken to an experienced professional for detailed evaluation including a series of tests, interviews, and evaluations. The following mediums are commonly used for diagnosing learning difficulties:
Children often face difficulty understanding and following multi-step instructions. They are unable to organize tasks. These symptoms are a strong indication of an underlying learning disability.
Individuals with learning disabilities face significant challenges with managing time. They are unable to organize materials and complete assignments.
Clinical and educational psychologists and psychometrists (professionals taking tests and assessments) will evaluate the areas of strengths and weaknesses of the child with the following tests:
Professionals assess the reading, writing, and math of the child and compare scores with that of an intelligence test to determine any discrepancy between performance level and expected intellectual range. It is important to understand that a child scoring high on an intelligence test may face challenges with academic achievements due to an underlying learning disability.
This procedure involves the use of tests such as the Developmental test for Motor Integration and the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt test to coordinate the information received visually with the motor actions carried out with arms, legs, and body. These include drawing, writing, catching a ball, etc.
Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF) or Test of Language Development is commonly used to evaluate the ability to understand spoken or written language. The professional will assess the child’s ability to respond verbally to signs and signals.
The most common problem of undiagnosed leaning disability is emotional issues. Since there is almost no support and awareness available for the child, he or she is attacked by feelings of extreme sorrow, frustration, and disappointment. Other consequences include:
When a child grows up with an undiagnosed learning disability, he or she may turn aggressive due to the challenges and blame others causing bigger personality issues. The child also struggles with career advancement due to slow or no development in basic cognitive skills which forces the child to avoid activities involving reading or writing.
Individuals with learning disabilities grow up with educational failures resulting in severe embarrassment. These individuals are also victims of negative self-worth. Kids with this disability are not capable of engaging interpersonally at work, school, or with family. This is mainly due to their difficulty explaining what they want or are unable to learn and pronounce words or respond to questions.
A child is prone to develop issues with social adjustment. They may also be unable to develop coping skills. Children with a learning disability have underlying problems with common skills such as understanding, learning, remembering, and focusing. This tends to interfere with their ability to socialize or develop coping skills.
As already discussed, early identification of learning disabilities is key to offering treatment with interventions personalized to boost the quality of life. Some of the common interventions may include:
To Sum Up
Learning disabilities must be identified at early stages to ensure the child gets the requisite support to thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. The best way to do this is to keep a close watch on the red flags mentioned above. Seeking professional guidance and raising an environment of compassion are positive steps toward empowering kids with learning disabilities. This will help them reach their full potential.
Speech therapy activities can encompass a wide range of approaches and techniques, meant to address specific speech therapy needs and the challenges faced by children.
Special education is a systematic way of teaching unique ideas by seeing the learner’s style e.g., Auditory, Visual, kinesthetic, or tactile where the learner enthusiastically participates.
Occupational therapy address serious health issues, including cerebral palsy, developmental delays, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, & genetic disorders.
