From Yahoo:
“Understanding Different Types
of Learning Disabilities”
Learning disabilities such as
dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
can frustrate students, confound parents and challenge educators. But all are
treatable once they have been detected and diagnosed. Learning disabilities do
not indicate intelligence, nor do they spring from emotional disturbances,
physical challenges or poverty. Rather, learning differences result from the
way a person's brain is wired to process information and make connections. They
are common, neurobiological in origin and often inherited from a parent. "What
we know today is that a lot of kids are affected. This is not some rare
situation," says Gail Saltz, an associate professor of psychiatry at the
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill-Cornell Medical College and a psychoanalyst
with the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. "Some of the most successful
people in the world have dyslexia or ADHD," says Saltz, who is also the
author of " The Power of Different: the Link Between Disorder and
Genius." "The most important thing is to recognize the nature of the
student's wiring and get together with your school, your teacher and a treater
to work out the best methods to help your child be as successful as possible in
the classroom."
Learning Disabilities Are
Common When a child is diagnosed with a learning difference, parents often
discover they, themselves, have struggled with similar issues. That is one
reason parents often instinctively worry before schools may formally intervene,
a process that typically takes place sometime between second and fifth grade.
"Parents often sense something is going on before the school
does," says Laura Reber, a school psychologist and founder of Progress Parade,
an online tutoring company in Illinois that specializes in diverse learners.
"Essentially, learning disabilities are mostly in reading, writing and
math." An estimated one in five students experience difficulty
learning or paying attention in class, according to a 2017 report by the
National Center for Learning Disabilities. However, just one in 16 students
benefit from professional diagnosis and go on to receive special public
education help known as an Individualized Education Program, or IEP. The
Learning Disabilities Association, a national advocacy group founded by
parents, says that half of all children with learning disabilities are never
diagnosed.
Common Signs of Learning
Disabilities Often, learning differences do not become obvious until a
child reaches school age. Even then, difficulties may be subtle and hard to
recognize. According to the National Institutes of Health, learning disability
symptoms include the following: -- Problems reading and/or writing --
Problems with math -- Poor memory -- Problems paying attention -- Trouble
following directions – Clumsiness -- Trouble telling time -- Problems staying
organized
While experts caution that
only a professional can formally diagnose a learning disability, other signs
may be: -- Acting without really thinking about possible outcomes
(impulsiveness) -- Acting out in school or in social situations -- Difficulty
staying focused or being easily distracted -- Difficulty saying a word
correctly out loud or expressing thoughts -- Problems with school performance --
Speaking like a younger child; using short, simple phrases; or leaving out
words in sentences -- Having a hard time listening -- Problems dealing with
changes in schedule or situations -- Problems understanding words or concepts
Professional Diagnosis and
Treatment Professional evaluation is often achieved via a team approach
involving parents or guardians, educators and specialists. According to the
National Institutes of Health, collaboration and communication among this team
over time is essential, as are some other basic measures: -- A medical
exam, including a neurological exam, to rule out other possible causes of the
child's difficulties. These might include emotional disorders, intellectual and
developmental disabilities and brain diseases. -- Reviewing the child's developmental,
social and school performance. -- A discussion of family history. --
Academic and psychological testing. While the path to diagnosis and
successful intervention can vary, definitions for common learning disabilities
are rooted in how the brain responds to reading, writing and math, as well as
the ability to pay attention, focus, organize and retain information.
Common Learning Disabilities
-- Dyslexia. Difficulty
spelling, recognizing words and making connections between letters and sounds
may signal dyslexia. Challenges or delays in speaking, learning songs or
rhymes, remembering numbers in sequence and discerning left from right can be
symptoms.
-- Dysgraphia. Writing is
the challenge here. Students may have distorted handwriting, omit words and
struggle to put thoughts to paper.
-- Dyscalculia. Difficulty
with numbers, fractions, math concepts, making change and telling time all can
be markers of dyscalculia.
-- ADHD and Related
Disorders. Difficulty paying attention, organizing thoughts and with executive
function may signal attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The Learning
Disabilities Association of America groups ADHD with related conditions, such
as attention deficit disorder, anxiety and depression.
Early Intervention and
Treatment Students with learning differences can succeed with targeted,
adaptive help and support from parents, teachers and professionals. Melaura
Erickson-Tomaino, co-founder of Port View Preparatory School in California and
a specialist in developmental psychology, says learning disabilities can impact
self esteem. "These kids feel unsuccessful on a regular basis,"
she says. "They feel stupid. They are made fun of. So much is on the
line." In addition, where one learning disability arises, other
challenges may come along with it, such as anxiety disorders.
Erickson-Tomaino's 5-year-old daughter has already received occupational
therapy to improve handwriting for dysgraphia, which makes handwriting and fine
motor skills difficult. Now, she shows signs of dyslexia as she struggles to
consistently recognize letters.
As she entered kindergarten this
fall, Erickson-Tomaino met with the principal so she could be assigned to a
flexible, creative teacher equipped to deal with such issues. In addition,
Erickson-Tomaino uses a "multi-sensory" approach common to learning
disabilities education. For example, the alphabet book she uses shows pictures
of animals that correspond to each letter. They read aloud together, and then,
her daughter writes letters down. This way, handwriting, auditory practice,
reading comprehension and visual cues all come together to facilitate learning.
Communication, persistence, advocacy and creativity are all traits students,
parents and educators need to succeed, says Melissa Holman-Kursky, founder of
CognitionSF, a California-based firm specializing in helping parents and
students devise "work-around" techniques to maximize their strengths.
For example, for children with ADHD, a coping strategy might be learning to set
reminders on their phone. Students who struggle to put thoughts to paper can
request a teacher talk them through a test. "Hearing a label of 'learning
disability' can be hard on parents, but it is often a relief to children,"
Holman-Kursky says. "The power of learning about themselves as learners is
life-changing. My mantra is for everybody to take a deep breath. Development is
on our side. With intervention, we can prevent a lot of things from getting
worse."
^ Learning Disabilities differ
just like people differ so it’s important to know what each LD has and doesn’t
have. ^
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