It can be difficult for parents when they are told that their child is falling behind in school. Getting reports of a child’s lack of motivation, interest or even defiance in the classroom can be frustrating. However, parents should not despair. There could be perfectly good reasons for children’s behavior and there is help available.
Many times children struggle in school because they have some learning issue. A savvy teacher easily spots some learning issues, but sometimes learning disabilities are subtler and go undetected. Learning disabilities usually fall under these 3 categories:
Dyslexia: difficulties with reading
Dysgraphia: difficulties with writing
Dyscalculia: difficulties with math
Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia are a result of Visual-spatial difficulties: trouble processing what the eye sees and language processing difficulty: trouble processing and making sense of what the ear hears.
Dyslexia:
Dyslexia is the most well known LD category. It is the name for specific learning disabilities in reading. Dyslexia is a neurological disorder that causes the brain to process and interpret information differently.
There can be early signs of dyslexia in young children: having trouble with letter recognition, matching letters to sound, pronouncing words, learning new vocabulary and using new words properly, learning the proper sequence of the alphabet, numbers and days of the week.
School age children might have difficulty with, reading, spelling, memorizing facts and numbers, following multi-step directions, and difficulty comprehending math word problems.
Teenagers and Adults with dyslexia will have difficulty with reading, understanding non-literal language, jokes, puns and idioms. Managing time and organization skills, memorization, and trouble summarizing a story.
Dysgraphia:
Dysgraphia is a learning disability that makes the act of writing difficult. A child’s brain needs to complete a complex set of motor and information processing skills when writing. They need to, locate each stroke of their hand relative to other strokes, learn and remember the size, form, and feature detail characteristic of each letter. As well as categorize.
Young children who present with dysgraphia have tight awkward pencil grips and body position. They have trouble spelling, and messy handwriting. They find forming letters challenging, will say words out loud when and tire quickly when writing. Older children will have trouble with grammar and syntax. They may concentrate so hard on their writing they might not comprehend what they have written. They have trouble coming up with ideas and organizing their ideas on paper. They will try to find creative ways to avoid writing assignments
Dyscalculia:
Children with dyscalculia may have difficulties recognizing numbers, understanding the relationship between the idea of the number (3) and how it exists in the world (3 pancakes, 3 chairs). They might have poor memory for numbers and an inability to organize objects in a logical way. As they get older they may have trouble with memorizing their multiplication tables, problem solving skills or difficulties understanding math vocabulary. They may also avoid games that require strategy to play. Adults who have dyscalculia may have trouble estimating the cost of bills, budgeting their checkbooks. They might also have poor organizational skills and difficulty with managing their time, like sticking to a schedule or approximating time.
Children who exhibit with any of the above LD’s will obviously experience more stress when trying to learn. This will cause them to lag behind their peers academically, and accounts for their behavior at school, the shutting down, lack of motivation and defiance.
Parents should recognize that although reading, writing and math are important skills, difficulty in these areas do not preclude children from living a meaningful fulfilling life. Children with learning disabilities are usually attracted to hobbies where they do not have to rely on the area of learning that is a challenge for them. Care should be taken to find children’s strength, the activities that they enjoy and cultivate interests in those areas: dance, drama, karate, chess, or art.
It does help to identify learning disabilities as soon as possible. If a child gains the proper support from parents, teachers, tutors and other trained professionals; he can overcome his disabilities and become successful in life.
Want to learn more?
Often times students who are diagnosed with LD are eligible for an IEP, an Individualized Education Plan. Private school students in Ohio are eligible for scholarships to fund services on the IEP.
For an approved provider for the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program. Click here:
Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program