Learning Disability: What it is, Signs to Watch Out For and What Parents Can Do About It

At first glance, 5-year-old David seemed like your typical preschooler: running, jumping, playing ’til he dropped. But with closer observation, David’s teacher noticed something was amiss.

Whenever the teacher gave instructions for a class activity, David would just stare at her, brows curved, as if wondering what she was talking about. The teacher would then repeat the instructions, more slowly and more clearly. Still, there would be no sign of comprehension on David’s part. He would simply murmur a “Huh?” and go on with what he was doing.

David became increasingly restless and distracted, unable to stay in one place or sit through an activity, and would often forget where he put his things.    

Once, the teacher asked David some questions about a story they had just read in class. He answered with bits and pieces of what he recalled, beginning with the middle part.

A few months later, David was diagnosed with having a learning disability.


LEARNING DISABILITY: WHAT IT IS
A learning disability (LD) is a neurological disorder that affects the ability to understand, use oral or written language, or answer mathematical problems. The brain functions of a learning-disabled person are altered, hence affecting the brain’s “wiring” altogether.

People diagnosed with a learning disability generally have difficulty focusing attention and exhibit immature motor coordination. Learning disabilities vary from one individual to another in severity and complexity, and have been proven to be genetic.   

 

Click here to read more about learning disability and the red flags to watch out for.

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Read on to learn more about learning disability and the red flags to watch out for.

 

According to Anna Marie Mestidio, special education teacher and child specialist at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California, “‘Scattered’ and ‘extremely disorganized’ are the most common definitions of a child with LD. Difficulty in reading, writing, reasoning, recalling information, and spelling are only some of the many processes that are directly affected by this neurological disorder.”

However, Mestidio emphasizes that learning still does take place with learning-disabled children, only it does so in a different way. “With them,” she says, “information just goes through a longer process before it is fully understood and acted on.”


RED FLAGS TO WATCH FOR
Although learning disabilities occur in very young children, they are usually not recognized until the child reaches school age. Most manifestations of a learning disability appear at a later age, usually 7 and above. However, some delays and difficulties may be observed even during the first 4 years, especially if your child already attends a preschool.

Paying attention to these red flags enables early diagnosis and intervention. Seek professional evaluation if any or several of the signs listed below are observed in your child over a long period.

0 to 18 Months Old

• Sleeps all the time
• Difficulty in sucking or digesting milk or food
• Poor eye contact with people 
• Resists body contact or hugging
• Noticeable delays in many or all of the commonly accepted milestones for development (sitting, creeping, crawling, turning over, walking, talking, etc.)
• Often irritable 
• Noticeable delays in social responses such as playing with others or waving goodbye
• Obvious delays in language

 

Click here to see more red flags for learning disability.

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Read on to see more red flags for learning disability.

2 to 6 Years Old

• Delays in  language development (learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, sizes, colors, rhyming words)
• Speech problems (difficulty in pronouncing words, stuttering, etc.)
• Limited vocabulary, often unable to name objects or feelings
• Difficulty understanding concepts presented in school
• Difficulty distinguishing shapes and symbols 
• Extremely restless and easily distracted
• Reads too slowly, or pauses frequently when reading aloud
• Has trouble following directions or routine
• Delays in development of fine motor skills (writing, locking puzzles, etc.)
• Delays in development of coordination (often falls or trips, often appears clumsy and awkward)
• Extreme reaction to excitement and frustration 
• Confuses right and left

“MY CHILD WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LD. WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP?”
According to special education teacher Joji Reynes, “Parents and teachers are among the first to notice if there are delays or deviations in a child’s emotional, behavioral, or cognitive development. But the person who officially diagnoses a child for developmental delays is either a developmental pediatrician or a psychologist.” After positive diagnosis, parents are then referred to an appropriate specialist for the kind of intervention their child needs.

• Occupational therapy addresses needs pertaining to fine motor skills, poor attending skills, and daily living skills.
• Physical therapy addresses problems with muscles and gross motor skills.
• Speech therapy addresses problems in speech, communication, and other language disorders. 
• Special education (SPED) programs address needs pertaining to pre-academics, academics, and practical life skills. 
• Play therapy addresses social and psychological issues.
• Social skills training programs address social skills deficits.

 

Click here to read more about what parents can do and the issue of labeling on children with learning disorders.

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Read on to learn more about what parents can do and the issue of labeling on children with learning disorders.

Do not think twice: have your child evaluated if you feel there is cause for concern. There is nothing to lose in asking. If you do not understand some of the things in a specialist’s assessment of your child, ask questions. You have to know exactly what is going on.

Coordinate with your child’s school. Make sure a written comprehensive evaluation by a developmental psychologist or pediatrician is given to all professionals working with your child, so that appropriate intervention can be carried out.

Many schools now invest time and effort in developing Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for children with special needs. IEPs are written plans that document the child’s academic performance and level, goals and objectives for the quarter, semester, and school year, as well as the plans for evaluation and further assessments.


THE LABEL DEBATE
Experts are starting to worry that the growing awareness of learning disorders has given rise to carelessly labeling children as “that LD boy” or “the dyslexia girl.” While a learning disorder already presents a child with extraordinary challenges, dealing with the stigmatizing effects of a label may prove far more difficult.

“I do not label kids,” says Mel Levine, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School. He is co-founder of All Kinds of Minds, a nonprofit institute for the study of differences in learning, and author of bestselling books The Myth of Laziness and A Mind at a Time. “I find labels offensive,” he adds.

Levine has been rallying against the continued misuse of labels on children with learning differences. He believes that labels only identify and focus on the children’s weaknesses and not on their strengths. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), LD, and EBD (Emotional Behavioral Disorder) are labels that only partially denote a child’s problem. With these labels, recognizing the child’s strengths becomes an incidental factor.  Levine believes that not only are these labels inaccurate, they may also prove to be devastating to a child’s self-esteem.     

 

Click here to read more about the issue of labeling on children with learning disability.

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Read on to learn more about the issue of labeling on children with learning disability.

 

The All Kinds of Minds movement upholds that labels oversimplify children’s abilities and do not specify where the breakdown is stirring. Levine emphasizes the invaluable need to “help educators and families overcome children’s learning, developmental, and behavioral hurdles with a more optimistic approach.”

“Identify, understand and address a child’s difficulties, but don’t stamp an acronym on her forehead,” he is quoted as saying in an article entitled “Bringing Hope to the Classroom,” by Sari Hornstein.

Levine believes that these acronyms mark children as deficient—and that what should be labeled is the phenomenon, not the child.  

On the other side of the fence, studies have revealed that labels are deemed beneficial in that they provide both parents and children with a general idea of what needs to be given positive attention. Labels should serve as a guide to describe a set of characteristics and, because of this, may be used to appeal for special education services in schools.

Labels also help facilitate effective communication among adults and professionals who are directly involved in the child’s education.

Labels present a framework that can be used to zero in on what the child needs. Without labels, many will be faced with a generic term. In a society with a predilection for labels, people seem to be at a loss in the absence of specific names.  

According to Sharon Freedman, M.D., in her article “Are Labels Necessary?,”  if a child is diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD, for instance, people will show more tolerance, compassion, and understanding, knowing that the child is not just “out-of-control” or “acting out.”  

 

Click here to learn more about the issue of labeling on children with learning disability and life beyond it.

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Read on to learn more about the issue of labeling on children with learning disability and life beyond it.

 

Freedman explains, “In order for my son and other individuals with disabilities to advocate for themselves, they require a label. In addition to this, they need a complete understanding of what the label means, of what their strengths and weaknesses are, and of what their needs are, so that they are better able to ask that these needs be met.”

With or without labels, an individual’s disability or disorder should not be the primary adjective used to identify her. It is unfair to be branded “the LD child” or “that BD (Behavioral Disorder) kid.”  A person’s disability should not define her whole being.  

Labels are meant to abet communication, not stifle it. They should enable a child to reach her full potential, rather than hinder her from doing so.


LIFE BEYOND LD
Knowing your children’s strengths and weaknesses, and helping them understand that they learn just as much as their peers do—only in a different way—will make a big difference. You need to teach them how to manage their weaknesses and deal with specific difficulties.

The learning-disabled may find it difficult to get ahead in school, but the academe is not the only arena for excellence. Sports and the arts are equally esteemed avenues where your child can shine.

In most cases, children with learning disabilities are highly intelligent individuals with strong leadership skills. Many are exceedingly creative, excelling in arts, music, and sports. Albert Einstein’s teachers believed he was a slow learner, but his theory of relativity, among his many other important breakthroughs in physics, proved only one thing: he could still learn a great deal.  Thomas Edison, Auguste Rodin, and Hans Christian Andersen were all marked as academically poor students. But without them, gone too are the light bulb, the master ful marble sculpture of “The Thinker,” and classic fairy tales such as “The Little Mermaid.”

There may be no cure to a learning disability, as it is not an illness or a disease. But with early detection, support, and appropriate intervention, children with learning disabilities have as much of a chance as anyone in succeeding in their chosen fields.

There is indeed hope and direction in what we all dream of achieving for our learning-disabled children.


WHY GET HELP IMMEDIATELY?
Experts say:

• 80% of students with a learning disability have trouble reading
• 90% will read normally if they receive help by the first grade
• 75% of kids who receive help after  age 9 will have some difficulty throughout life

“In the adult world, what really counts is how strong your strengths are, not how weak your weaknesses are.” —Mel Levine, pediatrics professor and author of The Myth of Laziness and A Mind at a Time