LEARNING DISABILITIES IN CHILDREN

March 15, 2019 /

Written by Caroline Meyer 

While many children may struggle with learning-related tasks at some point in time, this does not necessarily mean that they have a learning disability. If you think your child may have a learning disability, there are a number of signs that would give a clearer indication. The most noticeable is that the learning problem does not get any better over time. 

There are many different types of learning disabilities and if you suspect your child has a problem, it is best to get them screened by a therapist as soon as possible. Children may struggle with reading, writing and maths without having a disability. These are a few of the possible warning signs to look for :   

  • Struggling to pay attention or follow directions 
  • Easily distracted, cannot focus 
  • A poor memory 
  • Unable to stay organized  
  • Clumsiness 
  • Acting impulsively 
  • Unable to express thoughts clearly 
  • Acting inappropriately in social situations or at school 
  • Speaking on the level of a much younger child  
  • Unable to listen properly or understand words and concepts 
  • Struggling to deal with change 
  • Poor performance at school that does not improve. 

Different learning disabilities also have their own signs. A person with a disability may show only a few of the signs, so it is best to have your child seen by a professional if you think there may be a learning disability. We take a look at some of the more common learning disabilities in children.  

Dyslexia 

Dyslexia is a learning disability where the child struggles to make a connection between the sounds of a letter and the letter itself as well as problems with recognizing words and spelling words incorrectly. Signs of potentially being dyslexic include : 

  • A delay in speech and difficulty in expressing thoughts and feelings 
  • Trouble understanding questions or general speech  
  • Problems with organizing spoken and written language  
  • Struggling to learn new words from sight or sound 
  • Difficulty with rhymes and songs 
  • Slow reading, whether out loud or not and not completing reading tasks 
  • Unable to learn a different language 
  • Bad spelling 
  • Unable to follow directions 
  • Difficulty in learning number sequences 
  • Trouble differentiating left from right 

Dysgraphia 

Dysgraphia is often characterized by bad handwriting that does not improve over time. Children may actually tense up or twist their bodies or hands in unusual ways when holding a writing implement. Signs of having dysgraphia include : 

  • Problems with grammar  
  • A dislike of drawing or writing 
  • Unable to write thoughts in sequence 
  • Mouthing or saying words while writing 
  • Losing interest in writing soon after starting 
  • Omitting words or leaving words unfinished in a sentence 

Dyscalculia  

The most common characteristics of dyscalculia is an inability to understand the basic arithmetic concepts such as negative and positive numbers, fractions and so forth. Children may also display the following characteristics: 

  • Unable to work out change when dealing with money 
  • Trouble with word problems related to numbers 
  • Untidiness when writing down a maths problem 
  • Unable to understand logical sequences in maths and even time  
  • Difficulty in being able to describe a mathematical process  

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) 

This is a condition that affects how sound is processed and interpreted. Slight differences in words are hard to recognize and they cannot always work out where a sound is coming from. They struggling to pick out what they want to hear from competing noises. Some of the common signs include : 

  • Difficulty in remembering and processing verbal tasks 
  • Similar sounding words are misspelled or mispronounced (e.g. batch/bash) 
  • Ideas and thoughts seem to be processed slower 
  • Difficulty in explaining concepts 
  • Confused by figurative language, puns and jokes 
  • Words are processed too literally 
  • Easily distracted by sounds 
  • Unable to follow verbal directions 
  • Gets confused by rapid speech or complex sentences 
  • Ignores people or says “What?” often, even when they can clearly hear 

Language Processing Disorder 

This disability is actually a form of auditory processing disorder which focuses on difficulties in understanding the meaning in sound groups, APD affects all sounds entering the brain, while LPD is associated with language only. Signs include : 

  • Unable to understand spoken language  
  • Poor writing ability and reading comprehension 
  • Trouble expressing thoughts verbally 
  • Unable to name objects from their labels 
  • Frustrated by not being able to verbalise well  
  • Are able to draw or describe something while being unable to remember the word for it 
  • Seldom understand puns or jokes 
  • May show signs of depression 

Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities 

This type of disability is characterized by a large discrepancy between verbal skills which may be quite high versus poor motor, visual-spatial and social skills. Children with NVD struggle to understand body language and facial expressions. They often demonstrate poor coordination.  Signs of NVD include : 

  • Unable to “read” other people 
  • Can be clumsy especially when walking 
  • Struggles with fine motor skills such as using scissors or tying laces 
  • Has problems with time and space (gets lost, is often late) 
  • Cannot summarize learned information  
  • Struggles with instructions containing multiple steps 
  • Translates words very literally 
  • May interrupt often and repeatedly ask the same questions 
  • Appears competent on the surface due to strong verbal skills 

Visual Motor/Visual Perceptual Deficit 

This is a disorder where the information that the person sees is not always understood correctly. They may struggle to copy or draw. Slight differences in printed letters and shapes are missed. The child may struggle to use scissors or hold a writing implement correctly. Eye and hand coordination is often poor. The most common signs of this disability are : 

  • Reversal or inversions of letters such as p for q or w for m 
  • Struggles with direction and may get lost easily 
  • Complains of blurring or itchy eyes when reading 
  • Holds paper at an angle or turns head at an angle when reading 
  • May yawn often or close one eye when reading 
  • Loses place on the page when reading quite often 
  • Unable to copy accurately 
  • Struggles with cutting and pasting and holding a pencil or crayon 
  • Unable to line letters up and use accurate spacing when writing 
  • Letters may appear bunched together and writing is usually messy 

Most children who suffer from learning disabilities are at least average to above average intelligence. People will often comment that they are not achieving their potential as there appears to be an obvious discrepancy. Learning disabilities are often not diagnosed and children are noted as being lazy, unfocussed or disruptive. The child often appears smart but are unable to complete tasks at the level they should be capable of. 

There is no cure for a learning disability. Children with a learning disability will carry this disability with them through life. That does not mean they cannot lead successful, fruitful lives. Early intervention can go a long way to recognizing their disabilities and helping them seek treatment to lessen the effects of the problem on their mental and social growth. It is possible to achieve success at school and in life even when suffering from a learning disability.  

If you suspect your child may have a learning disability, seek professional help as soon as possible.  Experts can help your child learn skills and improve their learning through focussing on their strengths as opposed to their weaknesses. The interventions offered will usually be based on the child and the type of disability.