Specific learning disability interferes with the learning process of a person and can affect a child of any age. The parents and the educator must keep a close watch on the child to understand their behavior and look for the signs of learning disabilities in the child.
Some factors that describe specific learning disabilities are:
- Low scholastic achievement despite potential
- Fewer academic skills than peers
- A high level of support is needed even for average achievement
What is a specific learning disability?
A specific learning disability is a disorder that interferes with a student’s ability to think, listen, spell, write, speak, or do mathematical calculations. It harms the child’s learning and life. Different types of specific learning disabilities negatively affect a child’s education and progress.
Specific learning disability types
Following are the types of learning disabilities:
- Dysgraphia
- Dyspraxia
- Dyscalculia
- Dyslexia
- Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)
- Non-verbal Learning Disability (NVLD)
- Visual Processing Disorder (VPD)
What are the signs of a child with a Specific Learning Disability?
- Slow reading speed
- Poor memory
- Problem in paying attention
- Clumsiness
- Problem staying organized
- Trouble following directions
- Poor social skills
- Difficulty in understanding abstract concepts
- Language difficulties like word recognition, spelling, writing, comprehension, and so on
- Mathematical difficulties like solving a word problem, writing numbers, copying shapes, spatial relationships, etc.
Recommendation for parents of children with learning disabilities:
Some points are mentioned to help you better understand your child with a learning disability.
Don’t panic: When parents know that their child has been diagnosed with a learning disability, they become tensed and begin asking questions like what should they do next? Will the child be able to recover? Instead of panicking, celebrate that everybody is unique- a person may be good at one thing but not so good at another.
Spend time with your child: Listen to what your child wants to share. Try to comprehend the hidden meaning of their message.
Physical contact: Often, such children lose confidence. Therefore, you should make them feel special and loved. You should frequently hug your child or maybe just play with them.
Reinforcements: Praise their efforts rather than the outcome. It is crucial to appreciate when your child is trying their best rather than focusing on whether the answer is right or wrong. For example, you can say, “I really love how you are trying to figure out the solution to this mathematics problem.”
Help them correct their mistakes: Instead of scolding your child for making a mistake, help them rectify it and tell them that it’s perfectly okay to make mistakes.
Breaks: Provide small gaps while studying to allow your child to relax and refocus.
It has been found that over one-third of school children have learning disabilities. Such students appear “normal” and seem very intelligent and bright, yet cannot demonstrate the level of skills expected from their peers. However, with appropriate support and intervention, children with a learning disability can achieve success in school, work, and the community. Therefore, as parents, you should provide your child with special education. It is a set of services offered to children who have some kind of disabilities.
