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Sample the below common occurrences: Samar is imaginative and has ideas to communicate, but is unable to express them.
Anika feels so bombarded by sights and sounds in her classroom that she is unable to focus her attention.
Vanita is a very quiet and obedient child in the classroom but is very distracted and unable to remember or replicate anything her teachers teach her.
A learning disability affects your capacity to be taught or to communicate in some way. It can manifest itself in the way you listen, speak, write, reason or perform mathematical calculations.
There are different types of learning disabilities which can broadly be divided into three categories: academic skills disorders (such as problems with reading or writing), speech and language disorders (including difficulties with pronunciation, articulation or understanding other people), and problems with motor skills and memory.
What causes it?
Learning disabilities occur for many different reasons. Generally, it’s related to the brain’s development before, during or soon after birth, and sometimes in early childhood. It can also be due to nutritional, emotional, language or educational deprivation. Learning disabilities also tends to run in families. Often, however, the cause is unknown. So it doesn’t help parents to look backward to search for reasons, since there are many possibilities. It is far more important for the family to move forward in finding ways to get help for their child.
The symptoms
Many academic difficulties are language based, so the first place to look for red flags is in the language system. There are six areas, viz.:
* The age at which the child starts to speak. Does your child have trouble in understanding and mimicking language? If spoken language is difficult or unappealing, usually written language (reading and writing, letters and numbers) will be too.
* Receptive language – absorbing language through listening and reading. Children who are uninterested in stories, do not follow and remember a story line, or do not pick up news from conversation are at risk.
n Expressive language – giving out ideas, questions, emotions, or facts. Can your child retrieve words from his memory when needed, smoothly? Does he frequently mix up sounds and syllables out of sequence? E.g. richroch for ostrich. These children will have trouble later when trying to read words, or breaking sounds apart when trying to spell.
* Some children have trouble with the mechanics of reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic. Does your child take a long time to learn letter sounds and to recognise sight words? Does she have trouble with pencil grip and handwriting? Have reversals of letters and numerals continued to stay beyond grade two and three?
* Some children have trouble organising themselves. Is your child always late or forgetful or is searching for things? Does she/he have difficulties with ascending and descending lists?
* Some children misunderstand social cues. Is your child too pushy or face difficulties in joining a game, negotiating sharing or taking turns? These difficulties may later socially isolate them; they may not do well on group projects or in team sports, are seldom elected to class office, and usually sit home alone when others are socialising. The sadness, anger, or frustration born of being ‘out’ may interfere with concentration, memory, and general availability for school work, not to mention fun.
Now if your child does show some of these signs, what next?
Learning disorders may be informally flagged by observing significant delays in the child’s skill development, but a two-year delay in the primary grades is usually considered significant. Actual diagnosis of learning disabilities, however, is made using standardised tests that compare the child’s level of academic ability to what is considered normal development for a person of that age and intelligence.
In certain cases the services of a speech therapist, psychologist, physician, audiologist or a neurologist may be sought.
The tricky ones
Remember the learning problems of children who are quiet and polite in school may go unnoticed. Children with above average intelligence, who manage to maintain passing grades despite their disability, are even less likely to be identified. Children with hyperactivity, on the other hand, will be identified quickly by their impulsive behaviour and excessive movement.
A learning disability can’t be cured or fixed; it is a lifelong issue. It is important to remember that a person with a learning disability can learn. The disability usually only affects certain limited areas of a child’s development. In fact, rarely are learning disabilities severe enough to impair a person’s potential to live a happy, normal life.
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.