LEARNING DISABILITIES AMONG CHILDREN

 LEARNING DISABILITIES AMONG CHILDREN

• Learning disabilities are neurologically-based processing problems. These processing problems can interfere with learning basic skills such as reading, writing and/or math. They can also interfere with higher level skills such as organization, time planning, abstract reasoning, long or short-term memory and attention.

• It is important to realize that learning disabilities can affect an individual’s life beyond academics and can impact relationships with family, friends and in the workplace.

Learning disabilities range in severity and invariably interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following important skills…

• Oral language (listening, speaking, understanding)
• Reading (decoding, comprehension)
• Written language (spelling, written expression)
• Mathematics (computation, problem solving)

DYSLEXIA

• Dyslexia is a condition that makes it hard to learn to read and learn

• The problem in dyslexia is a linguistic one, not a visual one. Dyslexia in no way stems from any lack of intelligence. People with severe dyslexia can be brilliant.

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIA

• Dyslexic children and adults struggle to read fluently, spell words correctly

• But these difficulties have no connection to their overall intelligence

• Dyslexia is also very common, affecting 20 percent of the population and representing 80–90 percent of all those with learning disabilities.

• Although it is a neurological condition, dyslexia is not linked to intelligence. The effects of dyslexia vary from person to person.

• Early diagnosis, guidance, and support can help reduce the impact of dyslexia.

• In a person with dyslexia, the brain processes written material differently. This makes it hard to recognize, spell, and decode words.

• Dyslexia can be acquired or genetic

 

Before school….

• delayed speech development and vocabulary learning

• difficulties forming words, such as making the sound in some words backward or mixing up words that sound similar

• problems retaining information, such as numbers, the alphabet, and colors

 

school age.

• low reading level for the age group

• difficulties processing information

• issues with remembering sequences of objects or information

• being unable to put an unfamiliar word into sounds

• taking an abnormally long time with reading and writing tasks

• avoidance of activities that involve reading

teenage and adulthood…

• slow reading and writing that takes a lot of effort

• spelling issues

• avoidance of tasks that require reading

• mispronunciation of words or problems recalling words for a particular object or topic

• problems with understanding the meaning behind jokes and idioms

• finding it hard to summarize a story

• difficulties reading aloud

 

TYPES OF DYSLEXIA or auditory dyslexia

1.      Phonological dyslexia: The person has difficulty breaking down words into smaller units, making it hard to match sounds with their written form. This is also known as dysphonetic dyslexia or auditory dyslexia

2.      Surface dyslexia: The person cannot recognize a word by sight, making words hard to remember and learn. This is sometimes called dyseidectic dyslexia or visual dyslexia.

3.      Rapid naming deficit: The person cannot quickly name a letter or number when they see it.

4.      Double deficit dyslexia: The person finds it hard to isolate the sounds, also to name letters and numbers

5.      Visual dyslexia: The person has an unusual visual experience when looking at words. Although this can overlap with surface dyslexia.

REMEDIAL MEASURES

• Behavioural counselling.

• Behavioural modification through training.

• Educational counselling.

• Suggested retraining of the brain that needs to be repeatedly practiced.

• Patient tutoring

 

• Dyslexia cannot be cured-the problem in the brain that causes dyslexia lasts throughout the person’s lifetime. But special education and training techniques can help people to improve their reading skills.

• Phonics instruction

• Flash cards, computer programs

• Dyslexia is a medical condition –not due to lack of intelligence or effort on part of the child…so parents, teachers and care takers …

• The parents or the teachers must always get involved in whatever they are engaged in

• Make it a point to promote positive feedback. Every child has a positive side, a talent or ability. They should be continually praised on their positives, so as to enhance their self-esteem.

• Dyslexic children are often found to suffer from headaches and nausea that can be triggered off due to a variety of factors like over exhaustion, feeling down, depressed or irritated. These symptoms need to be medically treated.

• Amongst the remedial measures, it is important that you do not force the child to read aloud. Oral testing must be conducted but allow the kid to feel ready and comfortable.

• Multisensory learning

DYSCALCULIA 

        The term dyscalculia originates from ‘Dys’, which means ‘difficulty/poor’ in Greek and ‘Calculia’ which means ‘calculations’

• Dyscalculia is difficulty in learning or comprehending arithmetic, such as difficulty in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, performing mathematical calculations and learning facts in mathematics. It is generally seen as the mathematical equivalent to dyslexia.

• Kids with dyscalculia may have difficulty understanding number-related concepts or using symbols or functions needed for success in mathematics.

• Dyscalculia is a lifelong condition that makes it hard for kids to perform math-related tasks

• They often don’t understand quantities or concepts like biggest vs. smallest. They may not understand that the numeral 5 is the same as the word five

• Kids with dyscalculia also have trouble with the mechanics of doing math, such as being able to recall math facts. They may understand the logic behind math, but not how or when to apply, what they know to solve math problems.

• These children have normal IQ levels and everything else is normal including their reading, writing, and speaking skills. Scientists have yet to find a definitive cause for this disorder, although there is some speculation that certain genetic anomalies, such as Fragile X Syndrome, or environmental causes such as in-utero exposure to alcohol, could play a role in developing dyscalculia.

TYPES OF DYSCALCULIA

1.      Sequential: The disorder makes it difficult for the disabled to count numbers in a sequence. Additionally, he or she also may have a problem with time calculation, direction tracking, and measurement taking.

2.      Developmental: Children facing this find it difficult to count and recognize mathematical signs.

3.      Operational: This problem is associated with remembering or memorizing mathematics rules.

4.      Acalculia: People with acalculia are unable to perform even basic math operations, such as identifying the greater of two numbers or adding two numbers together, subtraction etc. Acalculia is an acquired condition, not one a person is born with, and can occur at any time. It is caused due to a brain injury or stroke.

CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSCALCULIA

Difficulty in….

• Classifying mathematical signs (addition, minus, multiplication, and division).

• Reading a clock and telling time.

• Calculating basic amounts like bills.

• Learning multiplication tables.

• Using calculators.

• Learning and remembering mathematical rules and formulas.

• Keeping records.

• Playing games that involve numbers.

• Kids with dyscalculia can benefit from specialized instruction.

• There are no medications that treat dyscalculia, but medication could help kids deal with co-occurring issues like ADHD or anxiety.

REMEDIAL MEASURES

• Multisensory instruction-This teaching approach uses sight, touch, hearing and movement to give kids different ways to learn skills and understand concepts.

• Using objects to see quantities and how they change provides a concrete way of understanding how certain math concepts work. It can also help kids develop number sense and make stronger connections to what they’re learning.

• Assistive technology can also help. There are many AT tools for math that kids can use at school and at home. These include graphing tools, math notation tools and graphic organizers for math. There are also apps that work on basic number concepts.

• Kids who have dyscalculia often have dyslexia as well. In fact, it’s estimated that 43 to 65 percent of kids who have math issues also have reading issues. For those kids, improving reading skills can make a big difference in their ability to do math work. That’s especially true for word problems

 

DYSGRAPHIA 

• Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects handwriting and fine motor skills.

• It interferes with spelling, word spacing, and the general ability to put thoughts on paper.

• It makes the process of writing laboriously slow, with a product that is often impossible to read.

• When the act of forming letters requires so much effort that a child forgets what he wanted to say in the first place, it’s not surprising that children with dysgraphia often hate to write, and resist doing so.

• The act of writing something down helps most of us to remember, organize, and process information, but children who struggle with the mechanics of writing learn less from assignments than do their peers.

• He may fail an exam simply because he can’t translate his thoughts and answers to paper.

CHARACTERISTICS

1.      Trouble forming letters or spacing words consistently.

2.      Awkward or painful grip on a pencil.

3.       Difficulty following a line or staying within margins.

4.      Trouble with sentence structure or following rules of grammar when writing, but not when speaking.

5.      Difficulty organizing or articulating thoughts on paper.

6.      Pronounced difference between spoken and written understanding of a topic.

TYPES OF DYSGRAPHIA

1.      Dyslexic dysgraphia: In this form of dysgraphia, spontaneously written text (meaning writing that hasn’t been traced or copied) is most strongly affected, and isoften illegible —particularly as it goes on. Spelling, either oral or written, is extremely poor. Drawing and copying are not affected. Finger-tapping speed, a commonly used measure of fine motor skills, is in the normal range.

2.      Motor dysgraphia:  Motor dysgraphia most strongly affects fine motor skills, so finger-tapping speed is highly abnormal. All forms of writing —either spontaneous or copied —are close to illegible. Drawing and tracing skills are far below average. Spelling skills are usually normal.

3.      Spatial dysgraphia: This type of dysgraphia most strongly affects the spatial relationship between the writing itself and the medium on which it’s written. This means all forms of handwriting —and particularly drawing —are highly problematic. On the other hand, finger-tapping speed and spelling skills are close to normal.

REMEDIAL MEASURES

1.       Teachers have been known to tell students with dysgraphia to “just practice” by writing

                        more often and focusing more intently on what they want to say. But more practice is

           often not what kids with dysgraphia need to improve their writing; rather, they need the

            right practice both at school and at home.

2.       letter-formation drills,

     3.  fixing incorrect grips on pencils or pens, and

     4.  using handwriting-specific training programs like Handwriting Without Tears.