Here's everything else you need to know about Specific Learning Disability
SLDs (Specific Learning Disabilities) are neurodevelopmental abnormalities that impair a person's ability to listen, talk, read, write, or calculate. These problems are normally detectable at a young age, but some may not be recognized until maturity.
Children and parents may experience stressful conditions as a result of these diseases. It's critical to recognize the signs and symptoms of SLD early on and get treatment. Seeking and receiving early assistance is critical to resolving a child's problems and ensuring a happy childhood and future.
Cadabams brings you a premium mental healthcare center that seeks to meet all of your mental health needs, based on its experience in the field of mental health. We provide dedicated care for children with SLD as part of it. Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and Dyslexia Treatment are all included.
Symptoms of Specific Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities manifest in different ways in different children. One child might have difficulty spelling the simplest of words, while the other might be perplexed by basic math equations. It can also manifest as a difficulty in communicating and understanding what the other person is trying to convey. The key to identifying learning disabilities is to understand the diversity of the problem.
Since there is a wide variety of learning disorders in children, there is no single symptom or profile that you can look at as the cause of the problem. But, there are some warning signs which are common and appear at different ages. You must know what these signs are so that you can catch the disability in the early stages and receive learning disability treatment and intervention. The diverse manifestations of SLD pose a different problem. There is no single defining symptom or profile that fits the disorder. However, some warning signs have proven to be common to most children with SLD. Here is a checklist of the signs. Please note, Children who do not have learning disorders can also face difficulties while learning. A cause for concern arises when the child is consistently having problems mastering a specific skill:
- Having trouble pronouncing words
- Trouble finding the right word
- Difficulty rhyming
- Finding it challenging to follow directions or learn routines
- Having difficulty controlling crayons and pencils
Here are some other signs that can be looked out for between the ages of 5 to 9:
- Unable to blend syllables to make coherent sounds
- Slow to learn new skills
- Trouble grasping basic math concepts
- Finding it difficult to tell time and remember a certain sequence
- Persistent difficulties in reading, writing, arithmetic, or mathematical reasoning
- Inaccurate and slow reading and difficulty with spelling
- Problems with grammar, punctuation, or organization while writing
- Difficulty in remembering number facts
Facing learning disabilities can be a lifelong challenge. However, with appropriate learning disabilities treatment, intervention, and support, your child can find success in school, at work and in any walk of life they choose to pursue.
Causes of Specific Learning Disabilities
Learning difficulties are caused by a malfunction in the brain's functionality. This implies that the brain assimilates and processes new information and conducts operations in unexpected, atypical ways, making it challenging to meet typical learning milestones. There is a hereditary propensity to the development of learning difficulties in many situations. Changes in the brain caused by social or environmental deprivation, deafness, poor eyesight, birth trauma, or neurologic impairment in utero can also cause them. Children with chronic health disorders have double the rate of learning difficulties as children without chronic health conditions.
Types of Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities is an umbrella term that refers to the following specific learning disorders in children.
Dyslexia: Dyslexia in children is characterized by difficulty with reading. They find it hard to associate the letters they see on a page with the sounds they make due to which they can’t read something fluently and effortlessly.
The signs of dyslexia can be seen in children even before they start learning to read. It is often seen that people with the condition will have difficulty breaking down spoken words into syllables as well. Children in kindergarten won’t be able to learn to recognize and write letters as quickly as their peers. Besides, dyslexic individuals may also have trouble with spelling and accuracy.
Dysgraphia: In dysgraphia, a child’s handwriting ability and motor skills are affected. They will have difficulty with writing, the spacing between words, grammar, spatial planning on paper, punctuation, etc.
Dyscalculia: Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that affects a child’s ability to learn number–related concepts and perform mathematical calculations using its functions and symbols.
Diagnosis
For the appropriate diagnosis of specific learning disabilities, several types of tests are conducted, which include
- Intelligence tests: Intelligence tests including the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WIPPSI), Differential Abilities Scales (DAS), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), etc.
- Achievement tests: Such as the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement (WJ), etc.
- Visual-motor integration tests: These include the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration and the Bender Visual Motor Integration.
- Language tests: Language tests like the Goldman Fristoe Test of Articulation, Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, and the Test of Language Development.
Treatment
If learning disorders are not identified and managed at the right time, they can have adverse impacts throughout the life of an individual. In addition to having low academic achievements, they will be prone to poor mental health, low self-esteem, and psychological distress. They could also face a higher risk of dropping out of school and being unemployed. Although there’s no cure for a specific learning disorder, certain methods that can be followed for SLD treatment. This involves improving the reading, writing, and mathematical skills of a child.
Treatment Approaches for Children with Specific Language learning disorders:
- Special teaching techniques: This includes helping a child learn through various multisensory experiences. It’s done by providing immediate feedback, which increases and strengthens the child’s ability to recognize words.
- Classroom modifications: Here the teacher can provide students extra time to finish tasks and provide recorded tests. This will allow children to listen to questions, instead of having to read them.
- Using technology: Children who have reading impairment will benefit from audiobooks or they can use word processing programs with spell check features.
Treatment Approaches for children with written expression impairment:
- Special tool: Here teachers can offer oral tests or allow the student to videotape the reports.
- Using technology: Children can use word processing programs, instead of writing by hand.
For kids who are impaired in mathematics, experts at the Cadabams Learning Disabilities treatment center suggest the following treatments:
- Visual techniques- teachers can draw pictures of word problems and show the child how to differentiate between problems.
- Using memory aids- Music and rhyme help the child memorize and retain the math concepts
- Using computers- A child can use computers for practice and math drills.
Treatment Approaches for children with reading difficulties:
Special teaching techniques can be used that may include multisensory experiences to help a child learn. Some modifications can be done within the classroom. This could include giving extra time to complete the tasks or providing recorded tests to enable the child to hear the questions. Children with reading impairment can benefit from listening to audiobooks or using word-processing programs.
Treatment Approaches for children with writing disabilities:
- Students can be allowed to offer oral exams.
- A child can be allowed to use an audio recorder in class instead of taking notes on paper.
- The teacher may also provide printed study notes to reduce the need for writing.
Approaches to treating impairment in mathematics :
- Visual techniques can be adapted to draw pictures of word problems or use colored pencils to mark different parts of problems.
- Learning math concepts can be easier with rhymes and music.
- Computers may be used as well for math drills and practice.
Rehabilitation for Specific Learning Disabilities
Rehabilitation could be necessary for individuals or children who are facing intense difficulties and issues in their daily functioning. Rehabilitation could help individuals cope better with the pressures of daily society and daily living.